Author Archives: udaykumarvarma9834

(Handia is no ordinary rice beer. It represents the soul and spirit, temper and tradition, custom and culture of a people whose simple, uncomplicated lives in deep dense forests of northern and north-eastern India offer a study in harmony and heritage. It is indeed a Blessed Brew, a brew of faith and fun.) In tribal landsContinue reading “A Handia Anthem”

Rice Bear Par Excellence “Humankind was built on beer. From the world’s first writing to its first laws, in rituals social, religious, and political, civilization is soaked in beer.”  William Bostwick  Beer Critic for the Wall Street Journal. More than being a deliciously compelling beverage, Handia is an integral and inseparable part of the cultureContinue reading “Handia-The Brew of Tradition: Part II”

The essence of Chhath festival is purity and discipline. What more could signify the deity, Surya, who we wish to propitiate during this four day festival? Few Gods in the divine pantheon match Sun in its discipline and sense of duty. The Sun never fails to rise and never forgets to set. A parallel toContinue reading “Essence of Chhath”

The Rice Beer par Excellence Napoleon once asserted, “On victory, you deserve beer; in defeat, you need it.” For the tribal communities of northern and eastern India, life’s simplicity transforms into excitement through a range of potent and magical beverages, used both in times of joy and hardship. In this rainbow of beverages that lighten andContinue reading “Handia-The Brew of Tradition: Part I”

A new area of bioinformatics has come to the rescue and relief of researchers while pursuing the ideal candidates for de-extinction.  Bioinformatics: Guiding the Resurrection In recent decades, the rise of bioinformatics has transformed herbarium specimens into browsable digital databases, accessible to researchers worldwide. The New York Botanical Garden and other institutions have digitized theirContinue reading “De-Extinction: Resurrecting Lost Species – Part II”

In the age of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the world of creativity is undergoing a seismic shift. Chatbots, like Chat GPT, are composing poetry, generating paintings, and crafting stories, raising questions about the essence of creativity. Amid this technological evolution, an intriguing phenomenon emerges: de-extinction. This article embarks on a journey to explore the depths ofContinue reading “De-Extinction: Resurrecting Lost Species – Part I”

  A Tree Beyond Its Design In a quiet corner of my heavily wooded home’s backyard, it stands amidst  a sea of humble bushes and unassuming grasses: solitary, stately and  magnificent. This remarkable specimen of nature’s grace is adorned with clusters of ivory flowers that shimmer like silver in the sunlight. As you approach, the air isContinue reading “The Glory Bower”

(In a quiet corner of my magnificent home’s backyard, it stands tall amidst a sea of humble bushes and unassuming grasses: solitary, stately and magnificent. Adorned with clusters of ivory flowers that shimmer like silver in the sunlight, it fills the air with an intoxicating fragrance. It beckons and lures. And one yearns its proximity.Continue reading “The Glory Bower-A Poem”

(Arguably the most drab and plain-looking, Babblers do not enjoy the attention and admiration an eagle or a peacock commands. Deemed garrulous and clumsy, and often dismissed as a noisy bunch of busybodies, their contribution to our daily life rarely finds expression. Yet, their energy and ceaseless activity, and the strange melody of their chatterContinue reading “The Babbler’s Babble”

Wikipedia records an interesting story, attributed to Frank Finn, the British chronicler. Perhaps apocryphal, but it is tellingly evocative of Babblers’ place in nature’s scheme. No eulogy illustrates their place around us better than this amazing story. “Some years back, a new Viceroy was being shown the wonders of his temporary kingdom, and among theseContinue reading “Boisterous Babblers: Part III”