🌿Deshpande Foundation/ INNOVATION FOR SCALABLE IMPACT
The Deshpande Foundation, founded by Jaishree and Gururaj ‘Desh’ Deshpande, has supported sustainable, scalable social and economic impact through innovation and entrepreneurship in the United States, Canada, and India.
➡︎ https://www.deshpandefoundation.org/
Yesterday, I wore a saree again to a party. I bought this saree at my favorite boutique Cinnamon, over 10 years ago. It is made of lustrous soft silk with chrysanthemum-like flowers on it. Light and comfortable, it’s one of my favorite.
Recently, I have been drinking Kombucha instead of beer. Kombucha is a fermented drink with a refreshing taste. Like yesterday’s bakery, this #dads_hack is also a brand in Indiranagar. Try it!
The first photo is a stylish version of my favorite South Indian snack, Maddur Vada. I ordered it the other day at the “Go Native” cafe. I liked it because it was easier to eat than the original large version, and the chutni served with it was delicious.
I like the standard donut-shaped vada, but I also like this savory maddhur vada that looks like a chocolate chip cookie.
The story of the birth of this vada, a specialty of Madhur village between Mysore and Bangalore, goes back about 120 years. The owner was preparing vada to serve to passengers at the railroad station. Due to the early arrival of the train, he was short of some ingredients, so he hurriedly made this snack, which unexpectedly became popular.
🌳Well, there have always been many people in India who are interested in sustainability. Even when I first moved to India, there were already a certain number of people selling various organic products and traditional crafts, and I have visited and reported on such places as much as I could.
However, what I feel is different is the dramatic increase in the number of entrepreneurs from the “younger generation” in both the food and beverage industry and the fashion industry, who are breaking new ground by adapting to the modern lifestyle.
As I have mentioned many times in the past, the power of the younger generation, those born after 1991 when India opened up its markets, is strong. But it is not just because they are young. There has also been a remarkable transformation of traditional values.
Especially since entering the era of COVID-19, one can see a remarkable change in lifestyles just by looking at the bazaars, events, and new and expanding restaurants that are being held in Bangalore. Of course, India is still the same old country, with a huge gap between the rich and the poor and an overwhelming number of people forced to live a harsh life, but there is a trend that things are gradually improving thanks to the evolution of technology.
This is the case with Go Native, where I stopped by for a cup of tea on my way home from a day out last weekend. The Sadashivnagar store is bigger and carries more products than the Lavelle Road store I mentioned the other day. At that time, a small bazaar of natural products was being held.
A brand of hemp oil, which I happened to have found and purchased online, also had a store there. I also bought a niche shampoo specifically for wavy hair, and after using it for a couple of days, my hair feels nice and moisturized.
Inside the store, there are many attractive products for all aspects of lifestyle. I could go on and on with the details, so I’ll just leave it at that for now. If you are interested, please visit their website.
⬆︎Sujata and the Buddha. Sujata offers Milk Rice, Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara (Photo by Anandajoti Bhikkhu)/スリランカにあるKELANIYA RAJA MAHA VIHARAYAの壁画。スジャータが釈迦にミルク粥を差し出している様子が描かれている。ちなみに我が夫アルヴィンドの姉の名はスジャータ。アルヴィンドはサンスクリット語で「蓮の花」を意味する。https://kelaniyatemple.lk/