Come end of June, Monsoon clouds begin to envelope the skies of central and north India after already commencing their march earlier in the month to the south of the subcontinent. Painting dramatic pictures with a play of light & dark grey clouds and the soul touching sound of lightning piercing through, it begins to rain. The earthly aroma of the dry soil drenching in fresh water would soon fill the atmosphere. After nearly two months of severely hot weather conditions and series of heatwaves, this is much relief. The birds are singing again and life continues its dance.
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Monsoons – How to perk it up?
Pretty much all communities around the world have their own reminiscing food & weather combos. How could the royalty of Banarasis be left behind? The city boasts some of India’s best street foods, and one of them combos is the popular afternoon snack of Masala Chai and Samosas. Supplement that with Longlata (another local specialty), and you’re all set to enjoy a classical monsoon afternoon. Sitting by your room window overlooking the garden, listening to the exotic sound of Indian monsoon rains as the soothing cool breeze brushes against your face, it’s time to indulge!
An alternative to Samosas would be Pakoras – Bread Pakoras, Potato Pakoras, Onion Pakoras, Cauliflower Pakoras, Chilli Pakoras!
Varanasi has a lot of street food joints to pamper your taste buds. If the messy and flooded streets of the city do not put you off, then heading down to a famous street vendor should be your goal to eat your samosas recently out of the pan – they taste the best when served piping hot! Variants of tomato and coriander chutneys are usually served alongside. Some joints like to serve it with a portion of radish salad, whereas others serve Chhola – a chick-pea curry dish.
ITH (Promo)
A good spot to enjoy your snack would be in the various common spaces of ITH – the ultimate in-city getaway spot.
We can’t promise you these, but in olden days, I would say, peacocks would dance in our beautiful green garden. Man, that was some sight! Human population has grown insanely in the past decade and a half, pushing some of the animal and bird species out of the main city. Peacocks, the national bird of India, can still be spotted in the countryside or even in the parks of the Banaras Hindu University.
