Marking a strong presence in the field of excellence, five students from India bagged prizes at Oxford Big Read Asia Prize at the Asia level. Out of these five students, four were from Nagpur while one from Madurai.

There were around 6000 submissions from schools from China, Malaysia, Pakistan, and India in the competition.

There are three categories for the different age groups in which the children compete.

BR Nimeesha from Sri Aurobindo Mira Universal School, Madurai was the winner in category 1 for the age group five to nine years.

In category 2, which is for the age group of 9 years to 11 years, Ananya Sheorey from The CDS School, Nagpur and Saara Den from Centre Point School, Nagpur were the winners. While in category 3 for the age group of 12 to 13 years, Neha Chhajed and Sama S Jahafirdar both of Bhavans BP Vidya Mandir, Nagpur were the winners.

Speaking about this competition, Sivaramakrishnan Venkateswaran, Managing Director, OUP India said, We are delighted to see growing participation and engagement in Oxford Big Read Asia. This competition provides students with an opportunity to augment the ambit of their reading and also demonstrate their literary and creative skills.

He added, We believe that early age interest in reading and writing is fundamental to ensuring better learning outcomes in young learners.

M Gnana Sundari Principal Sri Aurobindo Mira Universal School, Madurai said, I am happy to state that Oxford Big Read is an excellent contest for the students which creates in them a love for reading. Writing book reviews help students engage more deeply with what they are reading and also it is a great way to develop their vocabulary. Kudos to Oxford University Press for introducing this unique global program in India.

The campaign is open to schools and institutions in Hong Kong, China, India, Malaysia, and Pakistan through the Oxford University Press branch offices. Submissions from students are evaluated by a panel of judges based on originality of thought and expression, vocabulary range and the overall quality of content.

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Five Indian students win Oxford Big Read Asia Prize, four from Nagpur - The Statesman

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Much blood has flowed, tears too. Many insecurities have drowned, fears too. Enough political capital has been wasted, narratives too. Abundant inter-religious divisions have been created, riots and killings too. The 491-year-long religious battle behind, the three-decade-old political skirmish resolved, the victory for what had degenerated into a property dispute in hand, and the supremacy of the Constitution established, it is now time for India to live the ideals that Ram stood for.

If we are to examine avatars from the prism of spiritual goals, Rams transformative role was to deliver to the world the ideal of sattwa through action. Unlike the next avatar Krishna, Ram neither gave any spiritual discourse nor announced to the world his avatarhood. His role was to live like a man and raise men towards the sattva ideal through his actions, sacrifice, valour, justice and above all, love. Actions were his teachings, victory a legacy. At the point society then stood, Ram delivered the highest ideal by slaying Ravan and establishing Ram Rajya.

Rams business was to fix for the future the possibility of an order proper to the sattwic civilised human being who governs his life by the reason, the finer emotions, morality or at least moral ideals, such as truth, obedience, cooperation and harmony, the sense of humour, the sense of domestic and public order, to establish this in a world still occupied by anarchic forces, the Animal Mind and the powers of the vital Ego making its own satisfaction the rule of life, wrote Sri Aurobindo. Rama and Sita are the ideals of the Indian nation, Swami Vivekananda said in a 31 January 1900 lecture.

Taking that as a civilisational context, the battle for a plot of land measuring 2.77 acres seems statistically insignificant. But before the force of faith that sees the timeless, spaceless eternal in holy premises, this small plot of land had become one of the central points of division between Hindus and Muslims over centuries and in a formal court of law over decades. With the Supreme Court finally ruling favour of Hindus, but with caveats that include giving Muslims a five-acre plot to build a mosque in Ayodhya, we hope this clash of political religiosity, is behind us.

Also read:Ayodhya verdict made one thing clear. This is the problem with Indian secularism today

The five-judge verdict comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, next Chief Justice S.A. Bobde and justices Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S. Abdul Nazeer is unanimous. Spread over 1,045 pages, this has been one of the most closely-watched judgments and will be among the most closely-tracked orders of the Supreme Court over the next few decades. The scope for error and hence a revision, therefore, is limited. Judicial orders are technical and pivot around points of law and the Constitution, and hence, this judgement will set a precedence for future disputes on and around properties of faith.

Apart from the order per se, we laud the administrative planning between Gogoi and the government of Uttar Pradesh. Sensitive to potential troublemakers who could enflame peoples, the two institutions, the judiciary and the state executive, took pre-emptive measures to prevent violence. At the time of writing, we see no flashpoints. Hopefully, there will be none going forward. We also commend the maturity of political parties, all of which are standing firmly behind the judgement.

Above all, we see the rise of a mature India, a society that has been honed to peace on the hot anvil of religious violence, a nation worthy of the time. No triumphalism, no victory marches, no needling by Hindus. No violence, no threats, no anguish by Muslims. A general sense of peace and calm prevails that tell us that we are more than what the media headlines expect, that we can surprise ourselves in what cynics see as the most dire crisis of faith. Exhausted by years of suspicion and fighting, perhaps we are turning a new leaf in Hindu-Muslim relations, a leaf that the rest of the world could emulate.

Also read: Muslim bodies split on Ayodhya verdict review plea, community at odds with clergy

There is dissonance, of course. But barring stray comments by political leaders, it is not coming from Muslims. The source of this frustration is the predictable Left-illiberal ecosystem. Already a diminishing ideology and receiving only contempt and whataboutery with every tweet, Leftist ideologues are attacking not merely the judgment but the Supreme Court itself. In their minds, the judicial process works only when a verdict is in their favour. Not for them the multiple hues of democracy where among other things, finally we argue differences out in a court of law and bow before the majesty of law. In a civilisation that stands high above suffocating Left-Right-Centre boxes of Western thought, this ecosystem is best ignored. Stepping back, we see this group of people and their ideology expressions of tamasic forces that have been and continue to weaponise victimhood.

Irrespective, having won this long-drawn battle that has sucked out the energies of several faith warriors, the arc of action is now in the hands of Hindus. How they behave and what they do with this victory will decide the future course of India. Having fought for Ram, they need to follow Ram. Had the verdict been in favour of Muslims, Hindus should have embraced sacrifice and walked away, like Ram did, when asked to forego the kingdom and live in the forest for 14 years by his father. Along with Sita and Lakshman, as Ram walked into the forests, away from the luxuries of palace life, he didnt look back, harboured no regrets. A sattwic detachment guided his actions.

Winning the case, however, has placed the yoke of morality on the shoulders of Hindus. And as Ram bhakts they need to follow their faith. Despite defeating Ravan and killing him in battle, Ram installed Ravans brother Vibhishan as the king of Sri Lanka. He neednt have. Nobody would have raised any question had he taken charge of the kingdom. But driven by the sattwic ideal of righteousness and justice, Ram did what he did. No great discourse, no lecture. A simple act decided the course of the island nations future. He handed the throne to Ravans brother and flew to Ayodhya. Again, Ram didnt look back and despite a spectacular victory, remained detached in sattwa.

Also read:Why Mathura or Varanasi temple disputes wont go the Ayodhya way

To complete this judicial-physical win and turn it into a moral-religious victory, Hindus must learn from and follow Ram. If the Muslim leaders agree, for instance, Hindus could help build their mosque. They could help finance it. They could participate in several ways and celebrate its completion. All this without the smallest political grandstanding. Simple actions, silently executed would go a long way in not merely imparting dignity to the victory but even creating a virtuous cycle of Hindu-Muslim unity, a model for 21st century India.

This would mean the people shunning vested political interests from both communities. Politics in the area of religion has repeatedly proven to be a tool that has short-changed the people. Religion in the premises of politics has failed to harmonise collective interests. On the contrary, political religiosity has created rifts and fed on and profited from them. It is perhaps time to reverse the cycle. That is, allow the sattwa ideal in individuals each being harbours some aspect of sattwa within to engage one another and create a new and harmonious India. From that sattwic ideal, that unity, that spiritual oneness will emerge Indias 21st century Ram Rajya.

Finally, we see the pyres of hatred and potential rebirth of an aspired-for harmony. Now that the people have shown the maturity that political leaders ought to have had in the first place, perhaps politics will follow through and pick up the pieces of destruction physical and psychological and rebuild the nation as per the new will of the people. The people are done with faith-based, religion-driven lives of mutual suspicion. We look at this verdict as the beginning of new political alignments in tune with a new India.

The temple is a body, Ram an eternal ideal. The body in control, now embrace that sattwic ideal.

The author is Vice President at Observer Research Foundation.

This article wasfirst publishedon ORF.

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Frustration over Ayodhya verdict is not coming from Muslims but Left-illiberals - ThePrint

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Top 5 of the day11 November 2019, Vacancies TRIFED, ISRO, South Central Railway, WBHRB and other organizations - Jagran Josh

Much blood has flowed, tears too. Many insecurities have drowned, fears too. Enough political capital has been wasted, narratives too. Abundant inter-religious divisions have been created, riots and killings too. The 491-year-long religious battle behind, the three-decade-old political skirmish resolved, the victory for what had degenerated into a property dispute in hand, and the supremacy of the Constitution established, it is now time for India to live the ideals that Ram stood for.

If we are to examine avatars from the prism of spiritual goals, Rams transformative role was to deliver to the world the ideal of sattwa through action. Unlike the next avatar Krishna, Ram neither gave any spiritual discourse nor announced to the world his avatarhood. His role was to live like a man and raise men towards the sattva ideal through his actions, sacrifice, valour, justice and above all, love. Actions were his teachings, victory a legacy. At the point society then stood, Ram delivered the highest ideal by slaying Ravan and establishing Ram Rajya.

Rams business was to fix for the future the possibility of an order proper to the sattwic civilised human being who governs his life by the reason, the finer emotions, morality or at least moral ideals, such as truth, obedience, cooperation and harmony, the sense of humour, the sense of domestic and public order, to establish this in a world still occupied by anarchic forces, the Animal Mind and the powers of the vital Ego making its own satisfaction the rule of life, wrote Sri Aurobindo. Rama and Sita are the ideals of the Indian nation, Swami Vivekananda said in a 31 January 1900 lecture.

Taking that as a civilisational context, the battle for a plot of land measuring 2.77 acres seems statistically insignificant. But before the force of faith that sees the timeless, spaceless eternal in a holy premises, this small plot of land had become one of the central points of division between Hindus and Muslims over centuries and in a formal court of law over decades. With the Supreme Court finally ruling favour of Hindus, but with caveats that include giving Muslims a 5 acre plot to build a mosque in Ayodhya, we hope this clash of political religiosity, is behind us.

The five-judge verdict comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, next Chief Justice S.A. Bobde and justices Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S. Abdul Nazeer is unanimous. Spread over 1,045 pages, this has been one of the most closely-watched judgments and will be among the most closely-tracked orders of the Supreme Court over the next few decades. The scope for error and hence a revision, therefore, is limited. Judicial orders are technical and pivot around points of law and the Constitution, and hence, this judgement will set a precedence for future disputes on and around properties of faith.

Apart from the order per se, we laud the administrative planning between Gogoi and the government of Uttar Pradesh. Sensitive to potential troublemakers who could enflame peoples, the two institutions, the judiciary and the state executive, took pre-emptive measures to prevent violence. At the time of writing, we see no flashpoints. Hopefully, there will be none going forward. We also commend the maturity of political parties, all of which are standing firmly behind the judgement.

Above all, we see the rise of a mature India, a society that has been honed to peace on the hot anvil of religious violence, a nation worthy of the time. No triumphalism, no victory marches, no needling by Hindus. No violence, no threats, no anguish by Muslims. A general sense of peace and calm prevails that tell us that we are more than what the media headlines expect, that we can surprise ourselves in what cynics see as the most dire crisis of faith. Exhausted by years of suspicion and fighting, perhaps we are turning a new leaf in Hindu-Muslim relations, a leaf that the rest of the world could emulate.

There is dissonance, of course. But barring stray comments by political leaders, it is not coming from Muslims. The source of this frustration is the predictable Left-illiberal ecosystem. Already a diminishing ideology and receiving only contempt and whataboutary with every tweet, Leftist ideologues are attacking not merely the judgement but the Supreme Court itself. In their minds, the judicial process works only when a verdict is in their favour. Not for them the multiple hues of democracy where among other things, finally we argue differences out in a court of law and bow before the majesty of law. In a civilisation that stands high above suffocating Left-Right-Centre boxes of Western thought, this ecosystem is best ignored. Stepping back, we see this group of people and their ideology expressions of tamasic forces that have been and continue to weaponise victimhood.

Irrespective, having won this long-drawn battle that has sucked out the energies of several faith warriors, the arc of action is now in the hands of Hindus. How they behave and what they do with this victory will decide the future course of India. Having fought for Ram, they need to follow Ram. Had the verdict been in favour of Muslims, Hindus should have embraced sacrifice and walked away, like Ram did, when asked to forego the kingdom and live in the forest for 14 years by his father. Along with Sita and Lakshman, as Ram walked into the forests, away from the luxuries of palace life, he didnt look back, harboured no regrets. A sattwic detachment guided his actions.

Winning the case, however, has placed the yoke of morality on the shoulders of Hindus. And as Ram bhakts they need to follow their faith. Despite defeating Ravan and killing him in battle, Ram installed Ravans brother Vibhishan as the king of Sri Lanka. He neednt have. Nobody would have raised any question had he taken charge of the kingdom. But driven by the sattwic ideal of righteousness and justice, Ram did what he did. No great discourse, no lecture. A simple act decided the course of the island nations future. He handed the throne to Ravans brother and flew to Ayodhya. Again, Ram didnt look back and despite a spectacular victory, remained detached in sattwa.

To complete this judicial-physical win and turn it into a moral-religious victory, Hindus must learn from and follow Ram. If the Muslim leaders agree, for instance, Hindus could help build their mosque. They could help finance it. They could participate in several ways and celebrate its completion. All this without the smallest political grandstanding. Simple actions, silently executed would go a long way in not merely imparting dignity to the victory but even creating a virtuous cycle of Hindu-Muslim unity, a model for 21st century India.

This would mean the people shunning vested political interests from both communities. Politics in the area of religion has repeatedly proven to be a tool that has short-changed the people. Religion in the premises of politics has failed to harmonise collective interests. On the contrary, political religiosity has created rifts and fed on and profited from them. It is perhaps time to reverse the cycle. That is, allow the sattwa ideal in individuals each being harbours some aspect of sattwa within to engage one another and create a new and harmonious India. From that sattwic ideal, that unity, that spiritual oneness will emerge Indias 21st century Ram Rajya.

Finally, we see the pyres of hatred and a potential rebirth of an aspired-for harmony. Now that the people have shown the maturity that political leaders ought to have had in the first place, perhaps politics will follow through and pick up the pieces of destruction physical and psychological and rebuild the nation as per the new will of the people. The people are done with faith-based, religion-driven lives of mutual suspicion. We look at this verdict as the beginning of new political alignments in tune with a new India.

The temple is a body, Ram an eternal ideal. The body in control, now embrace that sattwic ideal.

The views expressed above belong to the author(s).

See the original post:
Temple is a body, Ram an eternal ideal - Observer Research Foundation

To know if a tale is worth its weight in gold, check if it reveals itself threefold. In your bloodstream. In the town square. In the turning of galaxies," Amruta Patil writes early on in Adi Parva: Churning Of The Ocean (2013), her graphic retelling of the Mahabharata. It is tempting to recall these words as we enter the world of her new work, Aranyaka: Book Of The Forest, in which the story and art are by Patil, based on concepts suggested by best-selling writer and mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik.

As the subtitle points out, Aranyaka unfolds in the primal setting of the forest, a remote and dangerous realm in the imagination of most city-dwellers. But contemporary readers will feel the pulse of the story in their bloodstream. From gender politics to man-animal conflict to appropriation of forest land, issues that have brought people out on Indias streets in recent times run through its pages. These themes, while urgent and relevant in 21st century India, also hark back to the Vedic Age (1500-500 BC), forging a link between our historic past and immediate present.

The story is told in Patils inimitable style. The lines roll out with a poetic cadence, crisp and, at times, cryptic. There are acute insights into life in the wild (Creepers bloom with great urgency when they sense a future of scarcity"). Unlike the mixed media and collage that defined her earlier work, Patil uses watercolour and soft pencils in Aranyaka. The effect is gentle on the eye, dark and dreamy.

The singularity of the book is amplified by Pattanaiks role in it. While his social media personality may seem abrasive and brusque, his ideas are obviously shot through with gold. The man isnt the tyrant people assume he is", Patil assured me when we spoke on email, followed by a Skype call, two weeks ago.

It all started a few years ago, when Pattanaik met Patil with a proposal. He wanted to do a handbook of concepts tentatively called A Vedic Truth. One illustrated concept per page," says Patil. To that end, he had a checklist." Akash (sky), agni (fire), bhaya (panic), kama (desire), and so on. An extended version of this list appears in an index to Aranyaka. But rather than a straightforward concept book", Patil offered to write a parable. She picked her cues from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (nine-six century BC), particularly from the story of Yajnavalkya, the great scholar of Advaita philosophy, and his two wivesthe sensual and earthy Katyayani, and the austere and cerebral Maitreyi (in the Mahabharata, Maitreyi appears in a different avatar, as a young, unmarried philosopher). Pattanaik saw the merit in the project, and their affinity set Aranyaka on its way.

Patil and Pattanaik had known and admired each others work for some years, before they became friends at a TED conference in Mysuru in 2009. I approached Amruta (with the idea of what became Aranyaka) because I am a fan of her graphic novel Kari, which made me deeply experience the love and loneliness of Indian urban life," Pattanaik says in a note (co-written by Patil and him) on the making of Aranyaka at the end of the book. I needed someone who was a seeker but not overwhelmed by tradition."

What began life as abstract ideas laid out in bullet points by Pattanaik on A4 paper in 2016 morphed into something rich and strange three years later. A handbook of hard concepts turned into a layered, highly subtle graphic novel about food, feeding, fear, exchange and love," as Patil puts it. Slowly, the cast acquired depth and definition. Yajnavalkya became Y, Maitreyi was first shortened to M, then to the Fig". Only Katyayani remained who she was, a woman with a voluptuous body and insatiable appetite. I am Katyayani the Large," she says unabashedly at the start of the book. The warp of my story has always been hunger."

Katyayani reconstructs for the reader an origin story, before life dawned on Earth (Even the gods came later"). As species populated land and water, an inevitable struggle arose, in which the fittest survived. Thus the law of the wild was established. Over time, the forests taught human beings their rules of civility, the art of hunting and gathering, and the ethos of living and letting live.

Katyayanis excommunication from her villagefor eating food that was offered to the godsinto the heart of aranya schools her in the ways of the land. Left to fend for herself, she learns to forage and sift the edible from the poisonous. Finding sources of water proves an even bigger challenge than securing food. In the course of her wanderings, she gradually becomes aware of the ruthless, unsentimental force that is the forest. Human laws are meaningless here. Aranya doesnt mind you alive, it doesnt mind you dead," she realizes. In fact, it doesnt care one way or the other. Here, I wasnt Katyayani the Large, but predator, prey, ally, rival, mate."

Indias first woman graphic novelist, Patil made her debut with Kari (2008), a book that remains one of its kind. Having grown up in Goa, she studied art there, and later in the US, before working in advertising in Mumbai. Kari, set in that city, follows the fortunes of an androgynous woman working in an advertising agency who is in love with Ruth. Part-flneuse, part-seeker, Kari is the archetypal misfit. Her love for Ruth is doomed; her friend Angel is dying; Kari cannot reciprocate the affections of Lazarus, who is smitten by her. Instead, Kari wants her breasts to go away, look like Chow Yun-fat, and insists on a 2mm buzz cut" even as the hairdresser warns her, Madam, face looking boy type."

The protagonist of Kari emerged before the book in its existing form did. She was my significantly-cooler alter ego," Patil says. Later, in the aftermath of a big love affair collapsing, I fused traits of my ex with Karis. The fusional narcissism of young love: together forever in literary posterity, if not in real life!" In pre-Pride, pre-Tinder India, when desires were still policed under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, the story was far ahead of its time. It was at once a howl and a self-deprecating chucklea baby book of baby curves," Patil says.

In 2014, Patil moved to France (I have had an equation with France since 2009," she adds) and, with that, towards a different mode of avant-garde. She wrote a duology", retelling the story of the Mahabharata through the voices of two sutradharsthe ones that hold the thread of the narrativewho are both outliers. The first volume was narrated by Ganga; the next from the point of view of Ashwatthama. Finishing the duology took long years of solitary labour. And although Aranyaka brought in the excitement of collaboration, it wasnt all smooth sailing either.

There was, of course, the distance between Patils life in Angoulme, France, and Pattanaiks in Mumbai. But more crucially, there was also the difference in their temperaments. Devdutt does four books a year, I do one book in four years. He likes 12-noon bright-light type of clarity of communication. I trust allusion, ambivalence, things that do not reveal themselves immediately. Hes urban, effortlessly smooth in professional settings, I am a small-town girl who gets anxious in malls and stricken by imposter syndrome at literary soirees. Hes logical-analytical and pattern-seeking, I am all healthy gut-flora and intuition," Patil says. We are both about loyalty, though, and about trying to understand the world rather than sit in judgement on it. I joke that he isnt allowed to release a book called How To Become Rich one week before Aranyaka without ensuring some of that stardust rubs off on to long-suffering collaborators!"

The two argued over terms like surrender" and gratitude". There was some sulking on Patils part, she adds, over sensuous visual details being curbed to make the book troll-safe", a valid concern given the sensitivities about Hindu culture in contemporary India. Its a good time to be taking lore backas if it was anyones to hijack in the first placebut I would have been doing this regardless of what epoch I was in," Patil says. The sociopolitical clime became thin-skinned and paranoid, but I had been at my desk for many years already."

WHAT THE FOREST MEANS

In the history of South Asia, forests often exist as idealized spaces of retreat. Scriptures and epics speak of sages retiring to the jungles to meditate and attain enlightenment. Kings and householders went there to spend the third phase of their lives, vanaprastha, far from the temptation of earthly desires. In contrast to this voluntary exile, being banished to the forest is an injunction in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. In both texts, the forest is filled with monsters and ogres, but also offers vital lessons.

In epics across the world (be they stories told by the Nordic people, the Celts or Mesopotamians or Greeks or people from the Indian sub-continent), the forest is a limin, a space between things," wrote classical scholar and translator Arshia Sattar, in an essay in The Indian Quarterly last year. More correctly, it is a space of transition, often a boundary or a threshold."

The ambivalent potential of the forest is a familiar idea in Patils Parva duology, especially in Sauptik: Blood And Flowers (2016). In it, Patil shows Dronacharya, the royal preceptor, training the Pandava and Kaurava princes in the art of war, while also passing on to them the secrets of flora and fauna. After years of being (in the forest), if a fool still dies eating a poisonous berry, Id say he deserves his fate," he tells his pupils, teaching them poultices, tinctures, the minds and hearts of herbs". The forests in the epics were not merely terrains filled with hazards and overrun with savages. They also embodied a form of civilization in themselves.

This awareness of forests is essential to appreciate Hindu philosophy but is conspicuous by its absence in all Upanishadic commentaries we read since the 19th century. Its because (around that time) we are responding to colonial powers and Christian mythology, where nature is again conspicuous by its absence," Pattanaik says. Christianity is essentially an urban religionit sees the village as the site of the pagan. Thus we find a general disdain for the forest: It is chaos to be controlled. And that has shaped the development agenda."

Modern, industrialized societies owe their existence to the taming of wilderness. From the days of the Mahabharata, when the Pandavas burnt down the Khandava Vana to establish their capital Indraprastha, to the cutting of over 2,000 trees in Mumbais Aarey forest for a Metro car depot in 21st century India, there is an unbroken tradition of wiping out forest land for the sake of progress". But nature extracts its revenge. This year alone, California has seen over 160,000 acres of land burn down in wildfires caused by natural and man-made forces.

If aranya heaves with unconcealed wrath, it also dazzles with its beauty. So irresistible is the call of the wild that even after Katyayani settles down in domesticity with Y, she finds herself a grove, where, away from the comforts of home, she begins to notice trees and stars, bugs and beetles again. All day long she tills the land and tends to her kitchen, but in the evenings she retreats into this secret garden.

The forest, for Katyayani, is as much of a refuge as it was for Shakuntala, who was born and reared there in a hermitage. King Dushyanta meets Shakuntala while on a hunt with his entourage. As historian Romila Thapar points out in akuntala: Texts, Readings, Histories (2002), A series of contrasting settings frames the scenes: the ferocity of the hunt, the gentle calm of the hermitage, each presenting a different face of nature, of the forest, the aranya." This onslaught on nature" by Dushyanta, Thapar says, presages his violent rejection of Shakuntala, who is the daughter of nature, when she goes to the city to claim his love.

A similar fate also befalls Sita in the Ramayana. If the forest around Chitrakoot, where she spends 13 years with Rama and Lakshmana, brings her joy, its also where she is abducted. In Ashoka Vana in Ravanas Lanka, the forest becomes a place of darkness and despair for her. Finally, sent by Rama for no fault of hers to live in Valmikis forest, she feels loved and protected again.

Retold through the ages, the fascination with Sita story endures: Sitas Ramayana (2012) by Samhita Arni and Moyna Chitrakar, Pattanaiks The Girl Who Chose: A New Way Of Narrating The Ramayana (2016), Amit Majmudars Sitayana, Aditya Iyengars Bhumika: A Story Of Sita (2019)examples abound. But the most compelling among the recent retellings is Chitra Banerjee Divakarunis The Forest Of Enchantments (2019).

As the title indicates, the novel focuses on Sitas life in the junglefirst with Rama and Lakshmana and, later, under Ravanas watch in Ashok Vana in Lanka. The forest is a crucial space of change, discovery and growth for Sita," Divakaruni says. This seems right to me, given that she is Bhumija, or daughter of the earth. In many ways, the forest, representing the unknown and raw power of nature, is opposed, or complementary, to the city, with its human civilization and laws." The forest, in a sense, is not only a physical space of conflict but also a psychological battleground, forcing individuals to make hard choices that often lead to woe and misfortune. This truth plays out in the Ramayana as Sita, bewitched by Maricha disguised as a golden deer, convinces Rama to go in its pursuit.

Mind and matter

The key conflict in Aranyaka is also between the blindly instinctive body and the rational logic of the mind. Katyayani discovers Y during her peregrinations through the forest in an anthill. An ascetic who left his guru to seek his own path following the almighty sun as his guide, Y is pulled out of his abstinence by Katyayani. Her voracious appetite for food, and for sex, softens his hard edges. Y begins to the enjoy physical play over mental exertions , but also resents the distractions. He upbraids Katyayani periodically for her lack of interest in the intellect and utter immersion in the pleasures of the body.

There are Ys around us everywhere, otherwise remarkable people who think that the only way to sagesse is by going beyond the body, by privileging the mind over the stomach, by renouncing rather than embracing the corporeal," says Patil. As Katyayani shows Y, as well as the pupils who come to him, the mind is but a feeble vessel if the body isnt sustained by nourishment. Recently, I read the story of Sri Aurobindos long-forgotten wife, Mrinalini, who had nothing uncommon about her (like Katyayani)," Patil adds. Mercifully, Aurobindo, whom no one can accuse of being anti-intellectual, recognized that those who use only their minds to grasp the nature of reality, have a far less intimate, immediate understanding of it." Patils own world view too is not based on the principle of either-or choosing one path over another.

Be it in the #MeToo movement or anything else, she is naturally suspicious of mass consensus, she tells me on Skype, preferring to reach her conclusions on a case-by-case basis, without being bullied". Her faith in her own judgement has led to some unconventional choices. I didnt need Draupadi to be my sutradhaar (in Sauptik) to prove my feminist cred," she says. People missed the point, but I thought it was far more interesting and subversive to talk about heroic or toxic masculinity via a broken, bleeding man like Ashwatthama."

Karthika V.K., who has edited and published all of Patils booksthe first three while she was at HarperCollins India, and now Aranyaka at Westlandaffirms her authors deep and quiet certitudes. Editing Amrutas work is a bit like editing film," she says. You have to closely attend to continuity of colour, background, the outward appearances of characters." It also involves asking many questions. More than I might ordinarily ask of other texts," says Karthika, because I want to ensure the reader will understand what shes trying to saythough I also know that shes probably thought about, and resolved, most of my concerns already."

The plot of Aranyaka, for instance, with its roots in realism, may seem clear as the light of day to readers, but like the forest, it is deceptive. From the interstices of its elegant frames and punchy lines, a thicket of meanings and metaphors begin to cast a web, making the book essential reading for our times, when opinions are increasingly etched in black and white, and shouted out to drown dissenting voices.

Patil isnt worried about adverse reactions to her work. Having spent most of the last decade in France, she is ready to return to India for some time now. India is the heart hotly pumping blood into my system. France was cool hibernation, hermitage. I needed them both for the work that happened so far," she says. I think its time for me to be in India more now."

Read more from the original source:
Amruta Patil on forests and the making of her graphic novel 'Aranyaka' - Livemint

I once flinched every time I heard the word vegan, assuming it meant less flavor and more judgey-ness. But Im a changed woman, thanks to my kids who eat only plants to help save the planet. To give them all the Thanksgiving classics without compromising on taste, I took my years of pro kitchen training, lessons from master chefs and endless research to create these dishes over months of test kitchen tinkering. Throughout the process, I had to convince myself this was a good idea. Heres how that conversation went in my head:

Why even bother with vegan cooking on Thanksgiving?

Because the holiday is as much about feeding family and friends as it is about food, and if even one of them doesnt eat meat, its nice to offer lots of options.

But I really want turkey on the table!

Good thing Ben Mims has such an awesome new recipe for one. If youre not going to do the bird, dont attempt a Tofurky. Thats just weird. Better to create this cornucopia of winter vegetables, which can be as showstopping as a big bird and carved like one too.

But can a vegan Thanksgiving taste good?

Can it?! Some of the best dishes Ive had in the last few years from superstar chefs have been vegan: Enrique Olveras ramen in black bean broth; Niki Nakayamas charred baby corn; Jean-Georges Vongerichtens beet tartare; Wes Avilas sweet potato tacos. Obviously, its possible (even if other chefs havent caught up).

But how can those high-end dishes translate into homey Thanksgiving dishes?

Its the philosophy that translates. Start with good produce and cook it right, balancing savory, sweet, acid, fat and heat, to make it tasty. The trick is to not think about whats missing, but what can be gained.

But dont you have to use weird substitutes to make vegan food?

Nope. Whole ingredients work just fine. Yes, I add nutritional yeast to mimic a creamy cheesiness, and chickpea cooking liquid is whipped like egg whites to create a marshmallow topping, but neither has long, sketchy ingredient lists.

Are you sure this doesnt require any weird ingredients?

Everything is easy to find in any supermarket. If youre cooking for strict vegans, use organic sugar (regular granulated sugar is often filtered through animal bone char to make it whiter... the more you know!).

Will this feel like Thanksgiving?

Definitely. These are the classic dishes in the traditional American cannon. An easy-to-mix poultry seasoning of dried herbs and spices will make the kitchen smell just like Thanksgiving. Aromatics such as onion and garlic plus umami-rich ingredients like mushrooms add the depth of flavor that comes from meat.

What if I only need to go so far as vegetarian?

These dishes work for any diet on the meatless scale, but you can substitute butter for oil in all the savory recipes. You can make an all-butter pie crust if youd like, and if youre fine with meat, this duck fat crust tastes amazing in apple pie.

Do these dishes work with other meaty or dairy Thanksgiving dishes?

Of course. You can make whichever ones you want. Theyll work with any menu and taste great any other time of year too.

Will some guests be turned off by this vegan menu?

Not in taste. If theyll balk for other reasons, dont say a word. Perhaps theyll react as our food team did when trying them and think these dishes taste better than the classics even before they knew for sure they were vegan. Dont think of it as deception. Think of it as being a gracious host giving your guests the best meal of the year.

Lets get cooking!

Start by reading this planner and get the recipes that follow.

Swap a whole turkey for whole vegetables as your Thanksgiving showstopper. See the full recipe

(Evan Sung / For The Times)

From-scratch poultry seasoning gives poultry-less dishes a distinct Thanksgiving taste with almost no effort. See the full recipe

Poultry seasoning, a dried herb blend, makes bread stuffing smell meaty even when its vegan.

(Evan Sung / For The Times)

Fresh and dried mushrooms simmered together with smoky bourbon give this gravy the depth that normally comes from meat. See the full recipe

Big chunks of mushrooms make this vegan Thanksgiving gravy extra satisfying.

(Evan Sung / For The Times)

The classic stuffing combination of sauteed onion and celery with toasted bread gets its buttery taste here from nutritional yeast, which you can buy online or in grocery stores. See the full recipe

Stuffing baked in a pan gives you a crunchy top.

(Evan Sung / For The Times)

Silky and soft, these are the ultimate comforting mashed potatoes. Caramelized leeks and nutritional yeast give these vegan spuds even more richness and complexity than butter and cream. See the full recipe

A final drizzle of olive oil adds even more richness.

(Evan Sung / For The Times)

Just like the standard American green bean casserole, this one smothers green beans in creamed mushrooms, then tops them with crunchy fried onions. See the full recipe

Top with the fried onions right before serving to keep them crunchy.

(Evan Sung / For The Times)

Pan-searing Brussels sprouts saves you oven space and time. The edges get nicely browned while the centers end up tender. A light glaze of maple syrup and cider vinegar give these garlicky sprouts an irresistible balance of sweet and sour. See the full recipe

You can double the recipe and use two skillets for a bigger batch.

(Evan Sung / For The Times)

Mashed sweet potatoes with marshmallows baked on top is a Thanksgiving staple that gets a vegan twist here. The result is lighter, fresher and more flavorful. See the full recipe

A kitchen torch browns the top nicely.

(Evan Sung / For The Times)

This isnt a great cornbread for vegans. Its an amazing cornbread. Period. See the full recipe

Serve straight from the skillet or unmold before cutting into wedges.

(Evan Sung / For The Times)

Cranberry jelly molds often use gelatin, but cranberries and citrus have enough natural pectin to set into a delicate jiggle. And unlike canned jelly, this has a fresh, fruity taste. See the full recipe

Garnish the dish with fresh cranberries and rosemary.

(Evan Sung / For The Times)

Fresh apple cider adds a subtle sweetness to the crust and makes it tender. See the full recipe

Slices are packed with apples.

(Evan Sung / For The Times)

This pie includes both the fat and the water of canned coconut milk to add richness without a tropical taste. See the full recipe

This is even more delicious than regular pecan pie.

(Evan Sung / For The Times)

Link:

The best vegan Thanksgiving menu and recipes - Los Angeles Times

PETA 2019Top 10 Vegan-Friendly CitiesVegan eating is exploding in popularity all over the U.S., as more people discover how it helps the Earth, benefits human health, and saves countless animals. New vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants are popping up everywhere. From sprawling metropolises to small towns, businesses are updating their menus with exciting animal-free optionswhich isnt surprising, considering that the number of veganAmericans has increased by600% in just three years, according to research firm GlobalData. In fact, The Economist dubbed 2019 the year of the vegan. Just ask folks in Dallas, Orlando, and Tulsaall three cities are debuting on our annual list.This year, San Francisco took the top spot. PETAs Lettuce Lad and Lady helped celebrate the citys accomplishment with a ride on its iconic cable cars.Read on to get the dish on the tastiest vegan eats across the country!No matter what neighborhood you find yourself in, youll discover that in San Fran, youre likely no more than a few steps away from an animal-friendly place to eat.

New to the City by the Bay is Goldies Vegan Deli, a Jewish delicatessen startup that offers tantalizing miso matzah ball soup, cashew-based cream cheese, tuna salad made with hearts of palm and chickpeas, and lox made of carrots (charmingly called Goldielox).

Wildseed is also new on the scene, in a space that was once a sausage-and-beer restaurant. The eatery serves only vegan fare, including mushroom ceviche, mushroom meatball masala, Beyond Sausage paella, and poke made from beets. And youll definitely want to pop in at the newly opened Vegan Mob in Oakland, which dishes out smoked vegan brisket, vegan BBQ fried shrimp, and its craveable Smackaroni.

One of the citys mainstays is Shizen, where youll fall in love with the restaurant one vegan cream cheesesmothered Philadelphia roll at a time. VeganBurg is home to SFs greatest vegan burgers, including bestsellers like the Avocado Beetroot and Creamy Shrooms burgers. (Dont forget to add a vegan egg or some faux bacon for that extra wow factor.) And who could forget Wholesome Bakery, where all the ingredientslike the jackfruit carnitas in the hand pieare seasonal and fresh every day. CyBelles Front Room has got you covered when it comes to vegan beignets, and it even has a vegan Bubba Gump Shrimp Pizzacomplete with cashew pesto red sauce, Violife parmesan, cashew cheese, and lemon pepper vegan shrimp.

If youre venturing into other Bay Area cities, dont make the rookie mistake of missing out on Berkeleys The Butchers Son, an all-vegan delicatessen that serves up some of the best animal-free Buffalo fried mozzarella sticks, steak-and-cheese hoagies, and cold cuts. In Oaklands Rockridge neighborhood, youll find Millennium Restaurant, one of the top vegan restaurants in the world, according to The Bold Italic. After you savor Millenniums Asian Pear, Ginger, & Soy Glazed Tempeh, youll understand why Michelin bestowed it with the Bib Gourmand award in 2016.

Since youre making a list, include Anchor Brewing in your stopsits a vegan-friendly brewery that boasts San Franciscos best brewery tour. If the season is right, take in a Giants game at Oracle Park, too, where you can munch on vegan franks and burgers, gelato, nachos, and other animal-friendly ballpark favorites. The park was even listed in fourth place among our top 10 vegan-friendly Major League Baseball ballparks earlier this year.

Wind down your Bay Area adventure with something sweet, like the vegan cakes or sweet toasts from Nourish Cafe. There are two San Francisco locations, so youll never be far from the cafs fruit tartlets, chocolate mint cream bars, or pia colada upside down cake. Or stop in at the all-vegan Donut Farm and choose from one of the signature flavors, like orange creamsicle, salted caramel, or Mexican hot chocolate. Anada Fuara has great mint cookie gelato made with coconut milk, and at Curbside Creamery, you can indulge in vanilla bean vegan soft-serve. Need a caffeinated pick-me-up, too? Pop into one of the many Philz Coffee locations (a Bay Area favorite), where you can add soy or almond milk to your brew at no additional charge.

Already booking your flight to San Fran? Travelers can now stuff themselves at Amys Drive Thru near Gate B6 of the San Francisco International Airport, where everything can be made veganincluding mac and cheese and milkshakes. San Francisco is really schooling the rest of the country on vegan eating: MUSE Global, an all-vegan elementary school founded by James and Suzy Cameron, is scheduled to open in September 2020.

If youre flying in, stop by Real Food Daily at Terminal 4 in Los Angeles International Airport and grab The BTLA (tempeh bacon, avocado, lettuce, tomato, and mayo on seeded seven-grain bread) and a cup of Black Magic Lemonade (homemade lemonade infused with activated charcoal).

Speaking of black magic, the Black Magic Lasagna at Pura Vita is bathed in pesto and cashew cream sauce, and the baked vegan ricotta is to die for (except that no one had to!). Hungry for German food? Try the Wienerschnitzel (seitan cutlet) at Hinterhof German Kitchen and Beer Garden. Is Thai more your mood? Start with a bowl of Tom Kha (coconut, mushrooms, broccoli, tomato, lime juice, and herbs) at Lotus Vegan or My Vegan Gold. Want something homestyle? Try the vegan bacon cheese fries or shrimp po boy at Doomies Home Cookin.

Other standouts include the panko-crusted piccata (chicken-free scaloppini with vegan garlic butter) at Mobys (yup, that Moby) Little Pine bistro, Thors BBQ pie (braised jackfruit, pineapple, cilantro) at Purgatory Pizza, and the Sloppy Jack Sandwich at Jackfruit Cafe (which has a brick and mortar spot coming soon!). Looking for soul food? Seek out the Organic Soul Food Platter (yams, mac n cheese, BBQ tofu, kale, black-eyed peas, and a cornbread muffin) at Inglewoods Stuff I Eat, or order some animal-free ribs or fried chicken from all-vegan catering company Compton Vegan.

Its easy to find delicious food in Los Angeles, as theres inspiration from all over the world. Check out the vegan options at Latinx-owned standouts such as Equelecu Cuban Caf and Seoreata. For superb Indian eats, try the vegan items at Samosa House West, which is home to Bharat Bazaar, one of the largestand most vegan-friendlyIndian grocery stores in Southern California. For high-end, fish-free Japanese fare, Little Tokyos Shojin doesnt disappoint.

Now, loosen your belt buckle for Krimseys Cajun Kitchens Voodoo Brownie Beignetthats a brownie baked inside a beignet, because being vegan in the 21st century is amazing. And dont miss the vegan macarons at French patisserie Ladure, which has gone fully vegan at its Beverly Hills location. Or try Crossroads Dark Chocolate Cremeux (with peanut butter cream, roasted peanuts, Maldon salt, and pomegranate chia seeds).

Noo Yawk without a bagel? Fuhgeddaboudit! Tompkins Square Bagels serves them with tofu-based cream cheese and vegan lox. For lunch, the young coconut ceviche (coconut meat, cashews, and cilantro) at Le Botaniste will make mouths water, then cap off all that gastronomic gallivanting with some vegan barbecue Buffalo wings or a Philly cheesesteak at Red Bamboo.

If you can, make room for Beyond Sushis smoked jackfruit dumplings and Seasoned Vegans crawfish in garlic basil sauce. (Take the 2 or 3 train to Harlem.)

Heading for Brooklyn? Good idea, because the boroughs rocking. Heres a sample: Babas Peirogies (which offers Tofutti sour cream for dipping), Modern Love Brooklyn (where you can try the Mac & Shews), Rips Malt Shop (with fizzing soda floats and coconut cream and cashew ice cream), Screamers Pizzeria (dont miss the almond parmesan garlic knots at its Crown Heights location!), Champs Diner (ask for the Mac Attack Bowl bowlmac and cheese topped with grilled chicken, seitan bacon, and Buffalo sauce)

VSPOT (with Latin vegan and kosher food), and Boon Thai (home of the Lovely Vegan menunothing says lovely more than mock duck tamarind).

And start spreading the word: Beginning this school year, Meatless Monday has been expanded to all NYC public schools.

Besides finding good eats, you can get inked at the worlds first vegan mini-mall and stop by Oak Barbershop, where all the products are cruelty-free, for a fresh cut.

If you like your pub food with a punk/metal backbeat, Black Water bar is a must. And be sure to dive into Sweet Hereafter, a bar dishing out a Field Roast burger on a pretzel bun with vegan rosemary cheese.

On a different note, Fall Out Boy drummer and fellow vegan Andy Hurley runs Oracle Coffee Company, which offers nondairy milks from Oatly, Califia Farms, and Pacific Foods.

Speaking of hot stuff, Homegrown Smokers Spicy Ribwich Sandwich features chipotle maple glaze, grilled jalapeos, pickled hot peppers, and mango habanero sauce.

Cool off those burning taste buds with a vegan soft-serve twist cone while picking up bulk soycurls at Food Fight! Grocery, a 100% vegan grocery store in the aforementioned vegan mini-mall.

Here are some other suggestions in the Rose City: the Papa Gs Ziz Zaz Zuz Dog (a Field Roast frank with Cultured Kindness cashew cream cheese), Rudys Gourmet Pizzas Vegan Chikn Bacon Alfredo pizza, Bye and Byes Weeping Tiger Sandwich (tofu cutlets covered in miso mayo, jalapeos, and avocados), Fatsquatchs Ozark Wrap (BBQ soy curls with sweet-and-spicy slaw), and The Sudras Chicken-less Tikka Masala Bowl (Beyond Meat Chicken, bell peppers, onions, and house sauce). And a must-have is Voodoo Doughnuts Voodoo Dollfilled with raspberry jelly, topped with chocolate frosting, and sporting a pretzel stake.

Make your first stop Chili Mustard OnionsDetroits (and the worlds?) first all-vegan Coney Islandstyle eatery, serving up a vegan take on the classic Detroit Coney Dog (a veggie dog smothered in chili, mustard, and onions) along with gyros, Southwest Detroit Nachos that use waffle fries in place of the usual tortilla chips, and more. Next up is Detroit Vegan Soul, where the soul food is made from whole food. The Soul Plattermac n cheese, smoked collards, maple-glazed yams, black-eyed peas, and a cornbread muffinis still rocking it, but the catfish tofu sandwich gets big props, too.

Woodbridges Pie-Sci Pizza can make nearly any of its inventive pizzas vegan with homemade vegan meats and drool-worthy cashew cheese. Seasonal faves include the Nacho Mama nacho pizza with veggie beef crumbles, vegan chili-lime tortilla chips, and vegan queso or the vegan BLT with tofu-bacon and homemade vegan herb mayo.

At Old Shillelagh, the shepherds pies are filled with a house blend of Beyond Burger, lentils, and a rich Guinness gravy. Detroit Restaurant of the Year, Ima, boasts vegan jicama tacos, curries topped with roasted tofu, vegan pho, and more. Viral popup Street Beet offers vegan takes on your fave fast-food guilty pleasures with its Taco Hell and Detroit FAKE Chicken events, Corktowns Brooklyn Street Local serves up vegan poutine, and catch southwest Detroits first (and only!) vegan taco truck, Rockys Road Brew, for its jackfruit al pastor or fried chicken tacos.

Whats cooking at Dixie Dharma? The Florida Fried Green Tomato isits cut thick, deep fried, and served on Texas Toast with smoked eggplant remoulade, garlicky kale, and house-made chow-chow. Ethos Vegan Kitchens pecan-encrusted eggplant is finished with red wine sauce and served with mashed potatoes and sauted asparagus. Jacked Up Vegan offers both soy chorizo and Baja Fysh tacos, and Dajen Eats disheslike jerk chicken, Jamaican rice and beans, and the Hoax Tailare packed with flavor. Enjoy local, organic food at Dandelion Community Caf (we recommend the Buffalo 66cashew-encrusted tempeh tenders with Buffalo sauce and vegan ranch dressing). Warning: Toasteds Vegan Fireball grilled cheese sandwich is packed with jalapeos and doused in Sriracha sauce.

But first, start the day with Leguminatis Foxtail Sandwich (tofu egg, rice paper bacon, and sliced vegan cheese on a toasted bun), Valhalla Bakerys cinnamon buns, Valkyrie Doughnuts giant churro doughnut, or a bangin brunch of vegan French toast casserole at The Sanctum Cafe.

Are theme parks more your speed? Dont worry! Disney World is one of the most vegan-friendly theme parks in the U.S., so drop in at Aloha Isle in Adventureland for a Pineapple Dole Whip soft-serve cone or park yourself at a food cart for a Mickey Mouseshaped pretzel. Its also a universally known fact that Universal Orlando Resort has recently upped its vegan game: Guests can order Gardein Italian Sausage spaghetti Bolognese at Louies Italian Restaurant (just a few steps away from the Revenge of the Mummy ride), a Gardein Chickn sandwich topped with Follow Your Heart cheese at The Burger Digs (a quick stroll from Jurassic Park River Adventure), and a Mummy Platter jackfruit sandwich at Classic Monsters Cafe.

New to the scene is HUMBL, with cant-miss dishes like the Meat Lover Pizza (topped with shiitake bacon, fennel sausage, macadamia ricotta, and cashew mozzarella) and the truffle aioli fries.

Got a taste for something South of the Border? El Palote Panaderia, Dallas first all-vegan Mexican restaurant and bakery, has everything from tacos to tamales to a Mexican tofu cream cheese Danish. Or the recently opened Nunos Tacos & Vegmex Grill has got you covered with its smoky chipotle jackfruit enchiladas. How about Tex-Mex/Hawaiian? Tiki Loco in Deep Ellum smothers its Smokin Hawaiian Steak Poke Nachos in pineapple pico.

At DVegan, traditional Vietnamese dishes get a vegan spin. V-Eats Modern Vegan serves up country-fried steak (deep-fried portobello mushrooms with mushroom gravy), Spiral Diner & Bakery dishes out The Triple Double (Beyond Burger patty with grilled cheese sandwiches as the bun), ITSO Vegan in Grand Prairie has a Nothing From the Sea Food Platter, Da Munchies settles the munchies with its vegan shrimp po boy

and Bams Vegan at the Dallas Farmers Market is big on Jackfruit Ropa Vieja with beans, rice, and fried plantain. Not to be missed is Sankofa Kitchens Vegan Sankofa Platter with animal-free takes on crispy fried fish, chicken tenders, and fried shrimp. Or load up some Cheesey Fries at Trinity Hall with phony bacon, beef crumbles, gravy, ranch dressing, vegan sour cream, and Vegenaise. Vegan eating is booming so much in Dallas that even steakhouse Al Biernats has expanded its menu to include vegan options like a Tofurky Italian sausage stack and a vegan cheeseburger.

Ready for dessert? You cant go wrong with the too-cool Skullette (a cupcake/doughnut hybrid) at Sugar Fang Vegan Bakery or a pistachio cannoli from Reverie Bakeshop in Richardson.

How about BBQ jackfruit sliders or a Nashville hot chickn sandwich (crispy seitan with chipotle mayo)? Get them at The Southern V. The Grilled Cheeserie does a vegan sammiepair it with the coconut shake. Butcher & Bees fire-roasted carrots are served with coconut cream, peanuts, and sambal onions. Vege-licious Cafe soaks its V-Licious Taters in house-made vegan cheese sauce and tops them with black-eyed pea salsa. The BE-Hive Deli Market makes mouthwatering meat-free meats like pepperoni and jalapeo-pineapple sausage that can also be found in The Fox Bar & Cocktail Clubs pineapple jalapeo brat and The Wild Cows French Quarter Dip (BE-Hive seitan marinated in Creole seasoning with au jus dipping sauce).

More taste-tempters include Sundas shiitake edamame dumplings, True Food Kitchens kale guacamole and cauliflower polenta, and Grazes Buffalo Chxn Quesadilla and Vegasaurus smoothie (with kale, spinach, apple, banana, pineapple, alfalfa sprouts, and apple juice). Kick back at Two Boots Nashville for the Vegan Larry Tate Pizza topped with Daiya and vegan ricotta, then cool off with seasonal dairy-free ice cream flavors like Dutch apple pie at KOKOS.

Ready for a nightcap? Corsair Distillery makes whiskey from quinoa, and Bob Dylans premium vegan whiskey is getting its own Nashville distillery in 2020. Take that, Jim Beam.

Its been a year since Pow Pow went 100% vegandig into the Wu Banger (with orange fried chicken, soy feta, and Sriracha cashews) or the Natalie Porkman (with sweet-and-sour pork seitan, grilled pineapple, and pickled onions).

NuVegan Cafes vegan crab cakes and ELife Restaurants spinach casserole (with a side of nondairy cheese squash) will do a body good. So will Smoke & Barrels vegan sampler (with wings, spare ribs, smoked tofu, chili, and slaw), Bens Chili Bowls Vegan Chili (with a hearty serving of TVP and love), the cauliflower steak at Logan Tavern, Busboys and Poets vegan chicken stir-fry

and LEONs one and only LOVe Burger (a beetroot-soy patty with Carolina mustard-mayo and smoked gouda-style vegan cheese). One of the most recent additions to the veg scene, Fancy Radish, will tantalize your taste buds with its with its rutabaga fondue and spicy dan dan noodles.

For something a littleOK, a lotsweeter, get a double scoop of dark chocolate truffle ice cream at Jenis Splendid Ice Cream, the orangesicle shake at HipCityVeg, or the Capn Crunch doughnut from the soon-to-open Donut Run (D.C.s first-ever vegan doughnut shop).

Brady Arts District staple Chimera is known for everything from its vegan doughnuts and pastries to The Camaro, a sandwich layered with BBQ-smothered tofu, spicy mustard, house pickles, and buffalo cauliflower wings. Head to JINYA Ramen Bar or Roppongi Ramen for vegan ramen options. Then theres Trenchers Delicatessen, a traditional deli that offers tofu scramble and an eggplant caponata sandwich. Still hungry? Lone Wolf Banh Mis mouthwatering ginger fritter bnh m with cilantro pesto (and the usual fixings), Chicken and the Wolfs vegan fried chicken sandwich, and The Local Bisons crab cake sandwiches, Carolina Crusher carnitas-style BBQ jackfruit sandwiches, and weekly vegan special will keep you satisfied.

Downtowns Elote Caf & Catering offers jackfruit and sweet potato burritos and tacos, and nearby, The Vault serves up vegan pesto and avocado tofu scramble, fluffy vegan pancakes, and more. And dont forget Bakeshop Tulsas award-winning vegan garlic mac and cheese

and vegan pastries galore! If youre looking for something on the extra-healthy side, Ediblend Superfood Cafe and Pure Food + Juice offer up dishes like raw nachos, street tacos, smoked vegetable burgers, taco salads, aa bowls, and more.

For dessert, try Glacier Confection, which offers several types of vegan chocolates, including espresso and hazelnut flavors. And Antoinette Baking Company offers delicious baked goods such as vegan chocolate raspberry cake with raspberry jam filling and chocolate buttercream, vegan almond joy cake with coconut cream filling, and more.

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PETA Names the Top Ten Vegan-Friendly Cities of 2019 PETA - PETA

Cranberry jelly molds often use gelatin, but cranberries and citrus have enough natural pectin to set into a delicate jiggle. And unlike canned jelly, this has a fresh, fruity taste. When you zest the orange into the pan, count the number of strips so you remember how many to remove later. Reserve the cranberry-candied strips to serve in glasses of ros. If youre strictly vegan, use organic sugar, which hasnt been filtered through bone char.

Total time: 45 minutes plus chilling | Serves 12

12 ounces cranberries (2 cups)1 cups granulated or organic sugar teaspoon kosher salt cup ros wine1 organic or unwaxed orange

1. Put the cranberries, sugar, salt and wine in a large saucepan. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the orange zest in strips and add to the saucepan. Halve the orange, squeeze out 1/4 cup juice and add it to the pan.

2. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Continue boiling until very thick and the cranberries have burst, about 20 minutes. Remove the strips of orange zest. Transfer the cranberry sauce to a blender or food processor and puree until very smooth.

3. Press the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve, then spread in a silicone 9-by-5-inch loaf pan or small decorative mold. If using a metal mold, line with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until set, at least 6 hours and preferably overnight. Unmold and discard the plastic wrap before serving.

Make ahead: After setting, the cranberry jelly can be covered tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 1 week.

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Vegan Thanksgiving recipes: Cranberry jelly with rose wine - Los Angeles Times

The Yasai gets underway in Kearny Mesa this weekend, bringing Japanese sensibilities and ingredients to vegan cuisine. The eatery replaces Pokirrito on Convoy Street where it was previously paired with popular noodle shop RakiRaki Ramen + Tsukemen and is the latest offering from owner and executive chef Junya Watanabe, who has partnered with chef Eduardo Fierro, formerly of vegan spot NoW Sushi in Mission Beach, on this meatless mission. The 50-seat restaurant, which will also offer beer, wine, and sake, is serving lunch and dinner from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 11 p.m.

Fierros experience with vegan sushi translates into an extensive sushi menu, which ranges from nigiri sushi topped with fermented eggplant, roasted red pepper, and pickled pineapple with marinated konjac to specialty rolls that include the King of the Clouds filled with tempura kabocha squash, cucumber, and asparagus with avocado mousse and lotus root. Daily-made fresh tofu features in warm chawanmushi, one of the small plate options that also includes crispy gyoza, Brussels sprouts with wasabi mayo, and Japanese-spiced pretzel sliders made with Impossible Meat.

The meat alternative provides the base for a vegan version of tantanmen, made with a from-scratch dashi and a spicy, creamy sesame broth. Each ramen can be customized with a choice of handmade noodles, from classic and gluten-free to strands enriched and colored with kale or beets.

The shuttered Pokirrito next to Rakiraki in Little Italy will also be turning into The Yasai, likely early next year.

4646 Convoy Street, San Diego, CA 92111 (858) 573-9090

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Vegan Japanese Food Comes to Life at The Yasai - Eater San Diego

On a recent episode of the Joe Rogan Experience a video and audio podcast hosted by Joe Rogan RZA discussed his vegan journey and what makes a true vegan.

The de facto leader of the rap group Wu-Tang Clan appeared on the podcast with American comedian and radio host Donnell Rawlings. The trio discussed their drinking habits, which led to a lengthy discussion about RZAs vegan diet.

In response to a question from Rawlings about what makes a true vegan, both Rogan and RZA agreed that its both to do with health reasons and animal welfare. But for the rapper, it leans more toward the latter. He said, to be honest with you bro, I just hit you with this right here, the reality of how I feel. No animal needs to die for me to live, ok?

RZA hasnt eaten red meat since 1995 and gave up poultry and fish in 1996 and 1997 respectively. Hes passed the vegan message down to his two sons, aged 18 and 21, who he claims are both strong and healthy.

[My 21-year-old son] can bench over 200 pounds, six foot two, eight pack,he explained to Rogan and Rawlings.[He] plays guitar, piano, [he has a] great memory never had a hot dog.

He later adds,I look at my household as a living example that you dont need [animal products] to live.

While Rogan and Rawlings both eat meat, both agree that there are more options than ever before, including bleeding burgers like the Impossible Burger and the Beyond Burger.When I ate the [Impossible Burger] it made me feel good,says Rawlings.Eating a burger that was all plant-based.

They also discussed clean meat where meat is grown in a lab from cells, with no slaughter required which RZA said he wouldnt eat, but he could get behind the idea.

It hasnt always been an easy journey for RZA, who says he grew up loving poultry dishes like turkey and chicken wings. In 1996, he changed all of his red meat dishes to poultry, but he soon realized that wasnt going to work either.

I could knock back about 30 chicken wings. On the 29th chicken wing, my teeth hit the bone. My mind said: dead bird, he explained.

He told himself, you in New York City with all these pigeons flying around, and here you are, supposed to be an intelligent human being and you eating on a dead bird. I was like, that sounds pretty stupid to me. I never ate it again.

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RZA Just Told Joe Rogan What It Means to Be a True Vegan

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RZA -- a member of rap group Wu-Tang Clan -- recently discussed his vegan journey on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast with Donnell Rawlings.

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Charlotte Pointing

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LIVEKINDLY

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