Music

In India, music plays an important role in life.  There is a large range of different kinds of music.  The most well-developed kind of music is classical music.  The most popular kind of music in India is Bollywood music.  Bollywood music, also called Filmi music,  comes from Indian films.

Folk Music:
This kind of music is often called desi music, which means "of the country". Desi music holds folk theatre and and popular music of various colors.  In India, there are three areas where it is particularly common and easy to access as a visitor – Rajasthan, Kerala and Bengal.  Here, the people are inspirational music providers.  In Punjab, there is a dance called Bhangra, which is a folk dance.  It is used in British commercialization and became known as Asian pop.

Film Music: 
Indian films always seem to succeed because of their songs.  Actors and actresses, even the high end people, lip-synch to pre-recorded songs sung by vocal superstars such as Lata Mangeshkar  off-camera. 

Here's a list of my favorite Bollywood songs:
Nagada Sang Dhol
Maahi Ve
Ishq Wala Love
Hip Hop Pammi
Barso Re
Lucky Tu Lucky Me
Main Tera Boyfriend
Keech Meri Photo
Balam Pichkari
Dance Ke Legend
 Now these are just a few that I can name.  

Bollywood movies predict their success by how well and successful their songs are.  The industry releases the songs first to see how the people react.  If the songs are a flop, then there is a chance that the movie will not be good or entertaining.  
A lot of Bollywood movies and songs are being influence by Western styles.  Artists like Akon and Diplo have worked with Indian artists for Blockbuster films.

Garba
Garba is a type of dance where the dancers are in a circle formed around pictures or statues of Gods and Goddesses.  There are either live singers or a CD playing Garba music.  Garba music originated in Gujarat, which is where my family is from.   Another form of Garba is the use of Dhandiya, which are decorated sticks.  Everyone starts with one partner but switch as they go around the circle.  The inner circle goes counterclockwise, while the outer circle goes clockwise. 

Try listening to Bollywood and Garba music, you might like it.  Dancing to Indian music is actually quite the workout.  Many people around the world use it as a form of exercise. 

Clothing

Men's Clothing:


A dhoti or lungi, is a loose skirt or shorts-type wrap for men. It is common in rural areas and in high heat, and is most often worn alone, without a shirt.  Some men also wore turbans on their heads. Many men wore man-buns and kept their beards short or shaved.






Women's Clothing:
Women across India often wear traditional outfits called saris.  Saris are made out of silk, cotton, or factory blends and use up to five to seven yards of fabric.  The fabric is wrapped on the body in countless ways depending on where the woman lives in India.  Hindu women wear petticoat-type garments underneath and tuck the ends of fabric into the waistbands. Women who live in more urban areas wear salwar kameezes. A salwar kameez is a pant and long-tailed  (to the knees) shirt made out of lightweight fabric.

A Blast to the Past

Women used to wear lungis like the men.  Women would also never wear anything from the waist up.  That is until the salwar kameez was introduced.  In the Guptan period of India, women started to wear saris.  The rich women wore saris made from silk imported from China. The poor women wore saris made from pure cotton.  





Modern Clothing

Modern day clothing styles in India are now more Western styled.  Many students, male and female, wear western style uniforms.  Many women can be seen wearing pants like jeans with t-shirts and casual tops.  However, there are still some traditional people who will wear saris or lungis.  Nowadays, when men wear their lungis, they most often then not wear shirts like wife beaters.  



During ceremonious occasions, women wear heavily embroidered saris with heavy jewelry.  Men wear embroidered clothes called kurtas.  Most Indian people wear heavily embroidered clothing for weddings.  They wear the embroidered clothing for all three days of the traditional wedding time.  

Food

Traditional food of India has become well known worldwide. The food is most popular because of the use of herbs and spices in its large assortment of dishes.

Common spices used in Indian foods:
cardamom
coriander
garlic
ginger
turmeric
cumin
cloves
nutmeg
mustard seeds
fenugreek
saffron

The cooking style for Indian food can vary from each region and is divided by South Indian and North Indian.  The main food includes wheat, rice, grain, and chana (gram flour).  Indian food has been influenced by many other civilizations. These influences made the food the way it is today.
Many people familiarize Indian food with spiciness. Every spice in the food not only gives flavor, but it also carries nutritional and medicinal properties.
Indian breads like Tandoori and Naan are popular around the world.
I, myself, eat West Indian food because I am Gujarati.  Gujarati and Rajasthan foods are a variety of dals used to substitute the lack of fresh vegetables.
In places like Maharashtra, the food is a mix of both north and south Indian cooking styles.
In Mumbai, there is a wide variety of dishes that include fish. 

Some of my favorite foods are:
Aloo Paratha
Dosa
Biriyani
Mango Lassi (it's a drink but it's so good)
Samosas!!
Butter Chicken-------------->
Chicken Jalfrezi
Jerra Chicken
Pav Bhaji
Dal Bhat
Khichadi
Khadi Bhat
Rotis are the bomb along with Naan

My family and I are Gujarati so we eat a lot of Gujarati foods.
Gujarati kadhi is a lovely curry with sweet undertones.  Almost every household has this for dinner almost every week.  

Dal bhat is also a staple food in India, as well as my household.  My grandmother makes the best dal.  The only time I get more dal for dinner is when she makes it.  Dal bhat has steamed rice and a cooked lentil soup, which is the dal. 





Now, some Indian food may look appetizing, but if you are willing to give it a try, you might just like it.  Never be afraid to try something new.