Bal Mithai KBG-20

A tiny cube of Bal Mithai evoked tremendous nostalgia in people who had eaten it. It has a unique taste. Has long shelf life.
Those who hadn't yet tasted it, were curious to know about it.
Bal Mithai originated in Almora in Kumaon region of Uttarakhand, India.
Of course due to its popularity, it is now made and sold in many other cities/towns of UP and Uttarakhand.
This answers the first two questions of KBG-20, the 20th edition of Kaun Banega Ghumakkad:

1. What? It is Bal Mithai a sweet made of khoa खोआ evaporated and thickened milk and coated with white sugar balls
2. Where? Originated in Almora in Kumaon Hills of Uttarakhand.
3. Famous Manufacturer? We had mentioned 'like KC Das for Rasogullahs' as an example.

The final question of the contest could not be answered correctly except one reader. Most readers googled it and Wikipedia led them to the person who 'invented' the Bal Mithai. So, this time we have only one Winner who answered all the three questions correctly. Congratulations Col Jai Shankar! 

Correct answer to Q3 is 'Khim Singh Mohan Singh Rautela Sweets' who have an outlet on the Mall Road in Almora. This is based on first hand knowledge of residents of Almora over last 50 years or so!

This contest was once again easier than some of the previous contests. That is why within a few minutes, we received more than 100 responses. But all of them were limited to the first two questions. We thank them for their speed!

We now move on to the 21st edition of the Contest.

Stay connected and maintain your josh with Ghumakkad.

We are grateful to Ramya Sriram of www.thetap.in for designing the KBG logo.

Thanks for browsing

    -Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/ 30th June 2019

#KBG #kaunbanegaghumakkad #contest20 #foodies #travellers #eattolive #livetoeat #dessert #worldfamousdessert #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh #balmithai #almora #kumaon #uttarakhand #india

Have you eaten this? KBG-20

Do you 'eat to live' or 'live to eat'? If you answered 'live to eat', this contest is for you!
KBG-20, the 20th edition of Kaun Banega Ghumakkad Contest, has a set of three questions.

1. Name the dessert.
2. Place or region where it originated.
3. Famous manufacturer (like KC Das for Rasogullahs)?

See the picture below. What, where, by whom? No other clue.

First three correct answers to all three questions will be notified as the Winners!

So all the foodies and others, shoot your response now!

Thanks for participating!

     Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/28th June 2019

#KBG #kaunbanegaghumakkad #contest20 #foodies #travellers #eattolive #livetoeat #dessert #worldfamousdessert #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh

Bodo Village- Living with Nature

Bodo Village in Assam now called Asom.
Like any other village in India.
Living in harmony with Nature.
Completely.
The villagers use local material for making their huts. Grow local fruits and trees. Respect Nature. They adapt to the climate using natural means.

This was evident during Ghumakkad's visit to a Bodo Village near Manas National Park (MNP) in north Asom in Nov-18. This picture story is part of a series.

Here is the complete set of stories of our visit to Assam and Manas National Park. We were a team of 20 Navy veterans and spouses all in their late 60s. This set of stories should be read together. Quick links are given below:

1. Who were the travellers?
2. Guwahati the Gateway to North East India
3. Driving through the Bamboo land
4. MNP- When a Safari Vehicle Breaks Down!
5. MNP- Where crickets sing like Temple Bells
6. Bodo Village- Living with Nature
7. Where to Stay in Manas
8. Deepor Beel A Ramsar Site

Coming back to the Bodo Village, let the pictures do the talking.

Bodo is pronounced as 'Boro' 

 Here is a short clip of Bodo folk dance being performed by Bolapi.

It was time to bid good bye. Even the Bodos bid adieu with Paan-Supari पान सुपारी. Only difference was that both the paan leaves as well as supari nuts were grown in the village and freshly plucked. See the picture below.

The eldest resident of the village came and blessed all of us. See her expressions below.

We sincerely hope that future generations living in rural India maintain their balance with Nature. The urban folks have done much damage to the environment.

In the next story we will answer the query 'where to stay' when visiting Manas National Park?

Thanks for browsing. Your comments and feedback are welcome as always. 

   - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/29th June 2019

#assam #manasnationalpark #bodovillage #Bodotribals #Nature #ecologicalbalance #Mudhouses #bamboo #localbuildingmaterial #cowdungpaste #bodochildren #bodofolkdance #beetlenut #beetleleaves #navyveterans #ghumakkadharsh #ghumakkadhb

Castor The Winner KBG-19

It was easy to identify.
One leaf.
Many spontaneous responses.
The results of KBG-19 Kaun Banega Ghumakkad 19th Edition- are out!

Correct Answer: Castor or Arandi अरण्डी in Hindi. Also known as Ratanjot, Killa, Kasta, Kastar in other Indian languages. Its scientific name is Ricinus Communis. The plant is used for making oil. See the seeds in the next two pictures.

KBG-19 saw very enthusiastic response from Ghumakkad's readers on all the channels i.e. email, FB, WA and Instagram. We received more than 30 correct answers. The winners responded within three minutes of online posting.

Congratulations to the three winners.

1. Tulika M Bhavarhkar MBA, Banking Professional, Chattisgarh
2. Praneetha Mudholkar Travel enthusiast, Management Faculty Hyderabad
3. Parag Sharma Former Air Commodore, Fighter Pilot, Nagpur

We are grateful to Ramya Sriram founder of www.thetap.in for designing the KBG logo.

Thanks for your continued participation in KBG Contests.

     Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ 25th June 2019

#KBG #kaunbanegaghumakkad #contest19 #nature #plant #leaf #tree #castor #arandi #ghumakkadharsh #ghumakkadhb

Seen this Leaf? KBG-19

You must have seen this leaf.
In your neighbourhood.
It also grows wild.

Easy guess for 19th edition of KBG- Kaun Banega Ghumakkad.

Clue: Its fruit produces oil!

Come on now, its a given!
Shoot to win KBG-19.

Thanks for your continued support.

    -Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ 24th June 2019

#KBG #kaunbanegaghumakkad #contest19 #nature #plant #leaf #tree #ghumakkadharsh #ghumakkadhb

CD is Cold Drink

What is a CD in a dhaba bill for breakfast?
The picture gave all the clues!

No wonder the first correct answer came in 30-seconds flat! Kudos to Abhishek De for being the outright winner.
CD stands for Cold Drink!

The response to KBG-18 was overwhelming on all channels i.e. Email, FB, WA and Insta. We received close to 100 correct answers. Which shows that 18th edition of Kaun Banega Ghumakkad was much simpler. In fact one of the regular readers commented that "My first answer was Cold Drink. But I never thought it would be so simple!"

Few of the imaginative answers were:
Chaach Doodh
Chilled Dahi
Coffee Decoction
Chatni Dhaniya

So much for our innovative readers. Many thanks to all who participated.

Once again, congratulations to all the winners!

1. Abhishek De, Head Sourcing Uber India
2. Parag Sharma, Fighter Pilot, Former Air Commodore
3. Ravneesh Khurana, MBA (Mktg), Entrepreneur

Come on ladies! KBG contest awaits you.

Look out for KBG-19!

     - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ 15th June 2019

We are grateful to Ramya Sriram of UK for KBG logo design.

#kbg #kaunbanegaghumakkad #contest18 #CD #dhabas #highways #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh #colddrink

KBG-18 What is a CD?

What does a CD mean?
See the picture and then answer.

Here is a clue although you don't need it!

Come on all the roadies as well as others, now shoot before someone else does it faster!
First three correct answers get featured in the next post.

Thanks for your continued support to KBG- Kaun Banega Ghumakkad. We are already on KBG-18! Hurray.

      - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ 12th June 2019

We are grateful to Ramya Sriram of UK for KBG logo design.

#kbg #kaunbanegaghumakkad #contest18 #CD #dhabas #highways #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh