Author Archives: rethy

Beard Tales Continue… Day 2

A noble priest from Jaipur Another interesting piece of information I chanced upon is, in Ancient Rome a man’s beard style could throw light on which philosophical school he belonged to! The  Romans were impressed by the distinctive styles of beards the Greek philosophers were sporting. As soon as Rome conquered Greece in the BattleContinue reading “Beard Tales Continue… Day 2”

No Pogonotomy?

Two interesting words that I came across recently are derieved from the Greek word pogon. One is ‘pogonotrophy‘ (beard growing) and the other is ‘pogonotomy‘ (shaving or cutting of a beard). That led me in reading many interesting facts on beard growing!  In the Victorian era doctors were believed to prescribe growing beard as a preventionContinue reading “No Pogonotomy?”

The Yellow Gate

  Standing tall on the busy Dinh Thien Hoang and Phan Dang Luu intersection is the Gia-Dinh Gate in Ho Chi Minh City. The bright yellow gate captures the attention of any  any passer by. Gia Dinh Gate was the gateway to the Ecole de Dessin Gia Dinh , an arts school in Saigon foundedContinue reading “The Yellow Gate”

Beating Monday Blues with Frost’s ‘Fragmentary Blue’

Why make so much fragmentary blue In here and there a bird, or butterfly, Or flower, or wearing-stone, or open eye, When heaven presents in sheets the solid hue? Since earth is earth, perhaps, not heaven (as yet)- Though some savants make earth  include the sky; And blue so far above us comes so high,Continue reading “Beating Monday Blues with Frost’s ‘Fragmentary Blue’”

What’s Cooking?

Banh Trang or rice paper wrappers are edible Vietnamese rice wrappers made from steamed rice batter. In the south and north they are known differently. Here, in the south these thin, translucent round rice papers are used to make fried spring rolls cha gio and fresh cold spring rolls goi cuon. The filling can varyContinue reading “What’s Cooking?”

Songs of Experience

” She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms” (She girds herself with strength, and strengthens her arms) proverb 31:17 A Rajasthani village woman  wearing upper armlets. These are some portraits of tribal women of Rajasthan, who would have had varied experiences which made them bold and strong. Adorned themselves with lot ofContinue reading “Songs of Experience”