Creating ripples of change through clothing

20 years ago a seed was sown. A fully functional clothes bank in Mangalore helped thousands of people who could not afford good clothes. Fast forward to Bangalore in 2021, history repeats but in a big way. Imagine Clothes Bank (let’s say 2.0) is born.

Yes, Imagine Clothes Bank is a clothes showroom for the poor. Who doesn’t like walking into a well decorated place and picking clothes of their choice? If you and I enjoy this experience, why should the less-fortunate be deprived of this?

Pre-loved and new clothes are made available to beneficiaries every Sunday at Electronics City, Bangalore. The centre caters to the needs of close to over 150 families every week.

At the Imagine Clothes Bank, you will see love, respect, dignity and the right to choose in action. In order to uphold the dignity of the beneficiaries, we charge Re 1 per article of clothing. This money in turn is used to fund the educational or medical needs of a family in need. Through this initiative, we want to create a complete cycle, where not only do beneficiaries receive help from Imagine but also contribute to a greater cause.

Here are a few snapshots

 

How to support us?

• ·     Contribute towards the expenses of the clothes bank

Account Name: The Imagine Trust

Branch Name: Infosys Bangalore Branch

Account Number: 055205000152

IFSC code: ICIC0000552

Account Type: Current Account 

UPI payments on number : 9611977074 

• Volunteer at our centre
• Be a champion and help us collect clothes and toys
• Spread the word on social and mainstream media

 

 

 

 

Mangalorean Chicken Sukkha / Combo Fugath

Whenever we have a get-together at home, especially for non-Mangalorean friends, this is my go-to recipe for chicken. Chicken tossed in a spiced coconut mixture with a tinge on tanginess makes the taste buds come alive. Popular with the Catholic and the GSB population, this dish is common on any Mangalorean restaurant menu.

I have taken this recipe from Isidore Coelho's book - The Chef. This recipe is very simple and it tastes best when made the previous night. I didn’t have the best of pictures to attach to this post. But I promise to do it the next time around.

 

Ingredients

1 chicken (approx. 1 kg)

1 coconut, grated (I use anywhere between 1 – 1 ½ cups)

1 medium sized onion, sliced

3 -4 tbsp coriander seeds

¾ tbsp jeera

1 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

2 tbsp of raw rice

8 red chillies (I use about 2 spicy red chillies and 6 of the bydagi variety)

3 tbsp ghee

2 cups water

Salt to taste

2 tbsp of fresh thick tamarind extract

 

Method

Clean the chicken and cut into small pieces. Cook the chicken with water and salt till done. Be careful not to overcook it.

In the meantime, dry roast coriander seeds, jeera, pepper, red chillies and raw rice separately. Cool, add the turmeric and powder. Mix together coconut, onion and the spice powder.

In a non-stick vessel, heat the ghee and fry the coconut – spice mix till the raw smell goes away and a fragrant aroma arises. This takes about 3-5 mins. Now, add the cooked chicken and mix well. I usually drain out the stock while adding the chicken and only as much stock as needed to bring the dish together. Adding all the stock will give you a semi-gravy consistency which is also good. However since the dish is called ‘sukka’ meaning ‘dry’, its recommended to keep the dish dry. Add in tamarind extract as per taste. I usually add about 2 tbsp. You may also want to add a little salt at this stage as per your preference. Let the chicken simmer with the coconut masala for a few mins before turning the flame off.

Chicken sukka goes very well with neer dosa, roti or as a side dish with rice.

Ragi Manni / Finger Millet Pudding

Being a Mangalorean, manni is a delicacy is most households. I particularly was not too drawn to home cuisine and always liked to try something from a different culture. But that changed when I had children and when I travelled around experimenting with different kinds of food. I began to appreciate our food. I wanted our children to know our culture, our habits and most importantly our food. Ragi Manni is an attempt to give the family a treat of one of our best sweet dishes.

Manni was traditionally a recipe made from rice but the ragi version is more popular these days – both for its taste and health benefits. While Ragi Manni may seem like a hard-to-do treat, its totally worth the effort. I picked the original recipe from Ruchik Randhap, my favourite Mangalorean food blog. However, I have made some tweaks to keep the process less cumbersome. Do let me know how you liked it.

*Cup measure used 1 cup = 240ml

Ingredients:

1 cup ragi grains, not flour

2 tablespoons raw rice

2 cups of coconut milk (I used the readymade coconut milk powder to make the milk, the canned one could be thicker and better too)

150 grams chopped jaggery

¾ tsp cardamom powder

2-3 tablespoons of cashew nuts and raisins

Pinch of salt

1 tablespoon ghee

Method:

Soak the ragi and rice together for at least 2 hours. Drain the water and grind with a little water. Sieve this mixture so you can extract the ragi ‘milk’. I used a large sieve. You could also use a cloth for better results. The residue can be used in dosa batter and won’t go waste.

Grease a non-stick vessel with ghee, add the ragi milk, the coconut milk, jaggery, cardamom powder and salt. Over a medium to low flame, cook this mixture stirring continuously. A little muscle powder will come handy here as the mixture thickens. Stirring continuously is important because the mix could stick to the pan quickly.

The mixture will gradually thicken and leave the sides of the pan. When you see it coming together as one large lump, you can turn off the flame. Working quickly, grease a large plate (approx. 8-9 inches) and pour the mixture onto it, flattening the surface. I had doubled the recipe as so I got three plates of 9 inches each.

Garnish with fried nuts if needed and cut into desired shapes when cooled.

 

Turkey - A Land of Myriad Colours

I was switching jobs and wanted to make the most of the break in between. Going on a holiday was my first option. Not just any holiday, but a solo trip. Being a mother of two young boys (a 6-year-old and a 2-year-old), a solo vacation is like a distant dream. But if it’s important to you, you make it happen! While Vietnam was on top of my list, the corona virus has just begun affecting countries and I eventually had to cancel out on all locations in the South East Asian region. This was in March 2020.

I heard of Turkey from a few friends and decided to go ahead with my booking before doing much research on what the country had to offer. One of the objectives of my travel this time was to limit my planning. By habit, I am one of those who plans until the last meal on the trip. This time around, I wanted it to be more spontaneous.

The Gorgeous Blue Mosque, Istanbul

Turkey is a vast country and requires several weeks to explore and enjoy. With just 10 days at hand, I didn’t want to give up. I picked three destinations within the country. Here’s how my solo holiday went.

Mixed responses to safety

Is it safe for female solo travellers? What about the frequent terror attacks? What about the violence at the borders? What about the refugee situation? There were so many questions I was confronted with when I spoke of my travel plans. Of course, I did my reading around the safety aspects. And now after my return, I can say that not for once did I feel my safety compromised in Turkey. It was safe in every aspect. And yes, Turkey didn’t have a single case of the virus while I was there.

Visa

With no fancy visas in my passport, I had to apply for the regular offline visa. With a travel agent’s help, you can get one in about 10-15 days. Yes, there is lot of documentation to be done including a ‘consent letter’ from my husband for my solo travel. I felt like a child in school seeking written consent from a parent.

Choosing your destinations

Ranked as one of the top destinations in the world, Turkey is a great mix of historical marvels, natural wonders and is a melting pot of cultures. There is something for everyone. Whether you want to soak in the Byzantine and Ottoman glories of Istanbul, sun bathe at some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, delve into history wandering through ruins such as Ephesus, or see some of the world's most surreal panoramas in Pamukkale and Cappadocia, this country will never fail to woo you. This is the toughest part if you are on a time-crunch. I picked Fethiye, Pammukale, Cappadocia and Istanbul and loved every place, each so different from the other.

The thermal pools of Pammukale

The ruins across Turkey

The stunning Turkish Coast

The valleys of Cappadocia

The Bosphorus

The Galata Tower and the Istanbul skyline

Weather in Turkey

I travelled at the end of winter, so it was chilly all the time with a few rainy days as well. For the average Indian, it was very cold. The temperature was anywhere between 2 degrees to 15 degrees depending on the region. I am not complaining because I loved being in warm clothes all day.

Istanbul on a rainy day

Food

Whether you are a vegetarian or a non-vegetarian, fear not, Turkey has you covered everywhere. While most people only speak of the kebaps and doners, there is so much more. From elaborate breakfasts to desserts you can’t get over, to the best of meats, Turkey will not disappoint you. Tea is an integral part and a non-tea drinker like me had about 5-6 cups a day.

There's always space for some bread

Looks like meat but it's not

Mezze for all

Any time is tea time in Turkey

Accommodation

The options are so many, that you can pick whatever suits your budget. From resorts to boutique hotels to hostels, Turkey offers every kind of hotel in every destination. I preferred hostels as a solo traveller. Hostels are great meeting grounds of like-minded people travelling on a budget and want to make the most of their time. I coined a new word – ‘check-in’ friends. They are people who check in at a similar time as you so you can plan different activities together. In all the places I stayed at, I made friends from different countries and going around the place with them on some days made my holiday a lot more exciting and made visits memorable. But if you choose hostels, be ready for dormitories and other shared facilities. They are clean, safe and are very light on the pocket.

 

All tucked up in a cozy cave

I love hostels

Transportation

Turkey is well connected with various travel options. Between cities, you have bus and flight options, both costing almost the same. So, it narrows down to the time you wish to spend. I opted for flights most of the time because I didn’t have too much time and buses would mean that I would be travelling overnight for 10-14 hours. All cities have public buses that ply between the airport and the city and they go by different names. Smaller cities have minibuses called Dolmus and taxis for commute. Istanbul has city buses, taxis and trams. You will however need to buy a transport card that’s easily available in the city.

 

The ferry at Istanbul

Cash and spending

While I carried enough cash, I found that most places accepted cards as well. A travel card was truly handy in my case. I chose to ignore the transaction fee because I didn’t want to carry too much cash around. I travelled light and that included my wallet too.

Fethiye

Picturize turquoise waters, calm seas where you can float all day, pretty walkways covered with umbrellas, a gorgeous looking harbour with snow-capped mountains in the background. Well, that’s Fethiye for you. A small town located on the beautiful Turkish coast closer to Greece, this was my favourite destination. Life is slow here. Most tourists head to Antalya or Bodrum for its beaches and nightlife. I picked the quieter alternative and I don’t regret it.

The Tlos Ruins

The calm and clear waters of Butterfly Beach

Swimming into the cave

Ölüdeniz (popular by the name of Blue Lagoon) is situated 14 kms south of Fethiye and is famous for its beach resorts. A typical beach, there are several activities you can choose from. You can choose from boat tours, paragliding, water sports, scuba-diving and much more. But being an off-season, I found myself at the beach with about 10 other people. There were no activities either. Fethiye is strict about their tourist season and maintains quiet times otherwise. I opted for a private boat tour where I toured a few islands on a speed boat.

The luxury of having a private speedboat to yourself

The abandoned town at Kayaköy

If you like exploring the ruins, a visit to the ghost town of Kayaköy should not be missed. Completely abandoned since 1923, Kayaköy was once home to around 10,000 people. Yakaköy is another place to visit for ruins. Being a little far away from town, very few people visit these ruins.

The Fethiye fish market is an attraction by itself. Pick from the fresh fish at the market and have it cooked right there at one of the restaurants. I went there twice during my three-day stay. The town closes early, so its ideal with simple travellers like me who like quiet evenings. 

A seafood lover's paradise

Click here to read my detailed blog on Fethiye

Pammukale and Hierapolis

The calcite travertine hot springs of Pammukale (translates to cotton castles in Turkish) is a geological wonder that is a must-visit when you are in Turkey. The surreal, brilliant white terraces are made of several warm pools rich in minerals. Pammukale is also home to some remarkably well-preserved ruins of the widespread Greek-Roman city of Hierapolis. With such a unique combination of natural and man-made wonders, it’s no surprise that this is a Unesco World Heritage site.

The Hierapolis ruins

Pammukale

The hard-to-resist thermal pools

I chose to travel to Pammukale from Fethiye which is a 4-hour journey by road through Denizli. Again, with picture-perfect sceneries throughout the journey, I could go back to Turkey just for this experience. While I did my visit in a day, I strongly recommend you stay a night at least to avoid rushing through this beautiful site.

Cappadocia

Straight out of a fairytale, Cappadocia is almost dreamlike with its fairy chimneys, cave dwellings, underground cities, and balloons drifting across the landscape. Cappadocia was originally a lake, which filled with volcanic ash creating a huge volume of tufa, a soft volcanic stone that has eroded to form the fantastic chimneys and columns. While there are small hamlets around, Göreme is the most popular town and is sure to leave you mesmerized. The town offers several cave-dwelling options and I picked one cozy little cave hotel for my stay of two nights. I took a hot air balloon ride on my first day at Cappadocia. The favourable wind conditions and the chilly weather made it perfect for a fascinating and memorable ride. That was the only day the weather was good in that week and I couldn’t be more thankful for that.

Cappadocia - beyond words

Hills and valleys all around

And yay...that's my balloon

8 floors underground

Tour operators in Göreme offer several tours (Red, Green and Blue) that span the entire region. You can also do these tours on your own. But being a solo traveller, it was economical to just go with one of the readily available day tours. The green tour that I opted for covered visits to the Göreme panoramic viewpoint, the pigeon valley, the Onyx Jewelry Factory, Derinkuyu Underground City, Ortahisar Panaroma, Mustafapaşa Old Greek Village, Keshlik Monastery, Taşkınpaşa Medrese, Sobessos Ancient City and the Soğanlı Valley. At 40 Euros, this was a good deal as most places were far from town and the travel was comfortable in a Mercedes minibus. The lunch in the valley along with some awesome fellow travellers was the icing on the cake.

An experience to remember

On day 2, I decided to do a little walking tour by myself. I walked a couple of kilometres to the Open Air Museum that Göreme is famous for. The rock-cut churches in this valley date to the 11^th and the 12^th century and have some beautiful depictions on the walls and ceilings. However, with the photographic restrictions, I managed only a few external pictures.

The Open Air Museum

Churches at the museum

Avanos

With some time at hand before I headed to Istanbul, I decided to make a quick trip to Avanos – a pottery town bordering Göreme. The Red River quietly flows through this small yet picturesque town. With several pottery workshops dotting the town roads, I learnt a little about the different ceramic and pottery work of the region. But what I enjoyed most was my super-quiet time watching the river. It's so unlike me to sit for more than an hour staring at the river.

 

Never miss a chance to visit one of these

The Red River at Avanos

I could stay here all day

Istanbul

Istanbul with its mix of culture, history, and modern luxuries is a paradise of a different kind. This city attracts a huge number of tourists all year round and is built for memorable travel experiences. The city has so much to offer for travellers of every kind. You can spend weeks and months here and still have lots left to do. So, you can imagine my 3 days in Istanbul were just a ‘touch and go’. With my hostel in the Sultan Ahmet area, most of the famous landmarks were within walking distance. 

The Blue Mosque

The Basilica Cisterns

The Hagia Sophia

While in Istanbul, you cannot skip a visit to the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia, the Topkapi Palace, the Galata Bridge, the Basilica Cisterns, and the Grand Bazaar. I covered these on day 1 of my stay which gave me more time to explore the rest of the city. 

The historical attractions are a great way to see the journey Turkey has been through various empires. It’s marvelous how these monuments have stood strong through time and one can spend hours marveling at their architecture and be mesmerized in their stories. Like most European cities, Istanbul also has many walking tours to choose from. You can choose various paths depending on your interests. And they work well for solo travelers and backpackers. And guess what? Many of them are ‘free’ (more like you pay what you feel like). I picked one for food and I loved it. I wish I had taken one of the historical places as well.  

Inside the Hagia Sophia

As you know, Istanbul stretches on either sides of the Bosphorus and is the only city divided between two continents – Asia and Europe. Both sides have a different vibe and I suggest you take time to visit and stay on both sides of the city. For my food tour, I visited the Asian side – Kadikoy and along with Can, my guide, I explored all the street food of Istanbul. This was the highlight of my stay in Istanbul and I wouldn’t mind going back just for this. For a foodie like me, I enjoyed walking through the narrow alleys trying out local delicacies in places that are popular with locals.

The Galata Tower by night

I love markets and chose to spend an entire day going to the bazaars in Istanbul. The Grand Bazaar is a must-visit with hundreds of shops selling everything from apparel to sweets and dry fruits to jewellery to artefacts. It reminded me of the souks in Dubai. While I hate shopping (yes, I really do), I love walking in markets interacting with traders and understanding what the place has to offer. I bought my stock of souvenirs here. The Spice Bazaar is another place to shop for edible treasures of Turkey. Try out the different varieties of Turkish delight or teas, I am sure you’ll have lots to carry home. I went twice to the Spice Bazaar which is just beside the Galata Bridge in Eminönü, simply meaning that I loved the place.

The truly grand Grand Bazaar

The Spice Bazaar

The Eminönü pier and the Galata Bridge are always bustling with life at any time of the day or night. My hostel-mate Alex and I spent a lovely evening just watching the sunset on the Galata Bridge. With several eateries lining the water edge, locals spending hours with their fishing rods and the silent traffic moving past, passenger ferries coming in every 15 minutes, there is never a dull moment here. The views of the city from the bridge are just breathtaking and so picture perfect.  

On the Bosphorus

Stairway to the Galata tower

My initial plan was to spend 5 days in Istanbul but with flight cancellations due to the virus scare, I had to cut short my holiday. I am glad I chose a time when there were not many tourists which meant public transport was not crowded, I got pictures without photo bombers and I didn’t have to wait in long queues at the places I visited. The weather was cold with the warmest being 7 degrees, perfect for outdoors and walking tours.

With so much more left to do, Istanbul goes back into my list of places to visit again. Turkey was the best place considering it was safe for a female solo traveller and was safe from the Coronavirus while I was there.

 Note: Turkey was not any holiday for me. It was God’s precious gift to me to experience His marvellous creation, meet wonderful people, and experience so many great things. And through it all He kept me safe to tell of His wondrous ways. Amidst all the chaos in the world around about the virus, He still gave me a holiday I’ll never forget. Yes, you might find it strange that I am talking to you about God on a holiday. But yes, what good is any experience or talent, if it does not give glory to the creator.