Nothing is Indian! Everything is Indian! | Episode 12 | Everything is Everything
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- Опубликовано: 5 июл 2024
- Most of what we think of as quintessentially Indian originated elsewhere. So what? Culture is a khichdi -- and that's delightful!
Welcome to Episode 12 of Everything is Everything, a weekly podcast hosted by Amit Varma and Ajay Shah.
In this episode, Amit and Ajay talk about the amazing khichdi called culture -- and how food, clothes, language, architecture all evolve in a giant melting pot of influences. Just as salmon sushi is not from Japan, most Indian food is not from India, and that's fine. It doesn't matter where influences come from -- once they get here, they're ours!
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
00:00 Teaser and packaging
00:58 Introduction: Nothing is Indian. Everything is Indian
02:23 Chapter 1: Salmon sushi is not from Japan
06:07 Chapter 2: Indian food is not from India
17:18 Chapter 3: The Invasion of the Cavendish Banana
34:04 Chapter 4: Culture is a Khichdi
49:08 Chapter 5: Amit's Recco
52:50 Chapter 6: Ajay's Recco
USEFUL RESOURCES:
1. Amit on Twitter: / amitvarma
2. Ajay on Twitter: / ajay_shah
3. The Seen and the Unseen -- Amit's audio podcast: seenunseen.in/
(Also on all podcast apps. And RUclips, though less than 1% of listens come from here: www.youtube.com/@TheSeenAndTh...)
4. Ajay's organisation, XKDR Forum, on RUclips: / @xkdr
5. In Service of the Republic -- Vijay Kelkar and Ajay Shah: amzn.eu/d/hwGILb3
6. The Art of Clear Writing -- Amit's writing course: indiauncut.com/clear-writing/
7. How The Desperate Norwegian Salmon Industry Created A Sushi Staple -- Jess Jiang: tinyurl.com/3v69n4mt
8. The Indianness of Indian Food - Episode 95 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Vikram Doctor): • Ep. 95: The Indianness...
9. Pushpesh Pant Feasts on the Buffet of Life -- Episode 326 of The Seen and the Unseen: • Ep 326: Pushpesh Pant ...
10. We Are All Amits From Africa -- Episode 343 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Krish Ashok & Naren Shenoy): • Ep 343: We Are All Ami...
11. A Scientist in the Kitchen - Episode 204 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Krish Ashok): • Ep 204: A Scientist in...
12. The Columbian Exchange: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbi...
13. India: Cookbook -- Pushpesh Pant: amzn.eu/d/9kRodSv
14. Cooking the world’s oldest known curry - Soity Banerjee: www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-i...
15. Did Frederick The Great Introduce The Potato To Germany? -- Matt Robinson: tinyurl.com/tmnjzs43
16. Against the Grain -- James C Scott: amzn.eu/d/iO3S54u
17. Caesar and Cleopatra -- George Bernard Shaw: amzn.eu/d/gHF0Ffr
18. Stage.in: stage.in/browse
19. When and where do great feats of architecture come about? -- Ajay Shah: blog.theleapjournal.org/2011/...
20. Make Me a Canteen for My Soul - Episode 304 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Sameer Seth & Yash Bhanage): • Ep 304: Make Me a Cant...
21. The Refreshing Audacity of Vinay Singhal - Episode 291 of The Seen and the Unseen: • Ep 291: The Refreshing...
22. Narendra Shenoy and Mr Narendra Shenoy -- Episode 250 of The Seen and the Unseen: • Ep 250: Narendra Sheno...
23. Early Indians -- Tony Joseph: amzn.eu/d/gM6QMPU
24. Early Indians - Episode 112 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Tony Joseph): • Ep. 112: Early Indians
25. Who We Are and How We Got Here -- David Reich: amzn.eu/d/8LjrP1A
26. Alice Evans Studies the Great Gender Divergence - Episode 297 of The Seen and the Unseen: • Ep 297: Alice Evans St...
27. Mayabono Biharini from BEDROOM by Somlata -- Rabindrasangeet busts genres: • Mayabono Biharini from...
28. Sonnet 18 -- William Shakespeare: tinyurl.com/2suk7233
28. Sonnet 18 -- David Gilmour: • David Gilmour Sonnet 18
29. Sonnet 18 -- Akala: • Hip-Hop & Shakespeare?...
30. Monkey Cuisine -- BBC Earth: • Monkey Cuisine | Secre...
31. Wanderers, Kings, Merchants -- Peggy Mohan: amzn.eu/d/fFbFLm1
32. India Moving -- Chinmay Tumbe: amzn.eu/d/cWZdiFE
33. Understanding India Through Its Languages - Episode 232 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Peggy Mohan): • Ep 232: Understanding ...
34. India = Migration - Episode 128 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Chinmay Tumbe): • Ep. 128: India = Migra...
35. Varun Grover Is in the House - Episode 292 of The Seen and the Unseen: • Ep 292: Varun Grover I...
36. Ajay recommends this Kefir grain: www.kefirwala.in/
Produced & edited by Vartika Singh: / @vartikasingh7 .
Thanks to Gaurav Chintamani for helping with sound: / gaurav_chintamani
Chapter images by Simahina: / i_am_simahina
The best quote describing India according to me is " Everything you say about India the opposite is also true".
I think this was by Joan Robinson
Great episode. Strongly recommend 'Culture: a new world history' by Martin Puchner (2023). It asks the same question, "Can anyone own a culture?" Beautifully illustrates that the history of humanity is the history of cross-cultural mingling and influence.
Incidentally, Puchner's book also has a chapter on the original 'The Great Wave', the picture in the background of your video. Hokusai, the painter 'printed' this as one of the 36 views of Mount Fuji. Note that since printing had then picked up in China, Hokusai, a Japanese painter, 'printed' the Great Wave as an act of rebellion against the then prevalent Japanese style of stand alone scroll painting. So ya, the background was 'picture perfect' for your conversation.
Thanks, will pick that book up!
Thanks for the recommendation. Really enjoying this book so far. So many TIL moments.
It would be a clickbait and maybe a pedestrian thing to do I know but but it would have been truly great to see both these beautiful gentlemen read out 50 things that are assumed to be of a certain place/culture, but they aren’t. Would be good for ‘reels and shorts’ also. Much gratitude to both of you, hamesha and beyond.
Commenting for the Amit-Shah duo to get greater engagement.
Culture is an aftermath of incidents and adaptability. Amit i was looking at the wall hanging of Great wave off Kanagawa while you both discussed culture. The mighty waves are something migrate and the mighty Mt.Fuji stand strong. For me I understood cultural adaptations that way. Enjoyed this episode.deep thinking.
Loved and resonated with, all of us Indians are not from this place.. 🤗 and yet we are.. feels like living in a bubble where everything around seems to suggest otherwise.. ❤
Great episode, loved it…and thanks for those silent, unseen book recommendations, lying around in background , on tables & book shelves..🙂
Awesome, thought provoking conversation. Keep it going guys! Love your content! We need more of this for India and for the world!
The story of potatoes growing in the royal garden is interesting. I have heard the same with Tapioca in Kerala.
Wow! Entertaining and Illuminating!
This is such a delightful episode! Tying in so many threads, opening so many worlds! Absolutely loved it.
Please share this as a podcast too. It makes it easier to listen without video being on.
Regarding Chapter 1 of this episode, people usually talk of sushi when talking about Japanese food, but I think the best Japanese food is Onigiri( it is a sort of rice ball with different stuffings). If you watched Pokemon as a kid you would remember that Ash Ketchum and his gang usually had these rice balls for food on the go.
Ah! This is a breath of fresh air. Thank you for creating this wonderful show.
This is my new fav podcast now! Amazing work Amit and Ajay! You both have become a staple in my youtube diet! :D
Wow! Amazing insights into various cultures of our nation.
Love this episode! Such a great conversation
So this is where the Intellectual Minority of India hangs out/
Hello Amit, I've been a loyal listener of your podcast for the past three to four years. Seeing you on RUclips after only hearing your voice was an unexpected delight. There's something unique about forming an image of someone based solely on their voice. Seeing you on video was a shift from that mental image. It's not a disappointment, just different. You articulate your thoughts well, but there's a distinct contrast between immersing in your podcast during a shower or drive and watching you speak on screen. I must admit, it's an intriguing experience. Regardless, I'm committed-I'll listen to your entire three-hour podcast, even if it's in segments
This book called Indian Food: A Historical Companion by K.T. Acharya is relevant to this episode.
Wonderful conversation. Watched the whole thing in one go.
Thank you!
Hey Amit and Ajay! I have followed a bunch of episodes of Everything is Everything! Thank you so much for this amazing series. I'm sure this series will be in the top charts in the time to come soon.
You two have been seeking feedback and as an avid RUclips watcher (yeah there are such people :P), I believe I can add value to your extremely nice video podcast series. So here's my feedback -
First the good part:
1. The topics are extremely interesting and the way they are discussed make them easier to be retained in the long run.
2. The chapters added in each episode are great. It reminds the viewers what is the wider topic as there are times you digress (or down a rabbit hole).
3. The puns that you two share are amazing. I smile and laugh unexpectedly.
4. The show notes - I see this that you have taken the same approach from Seen and the Unseen. Very helpful again.
Now, some points of improvements and I think these are just minor points -
1. Please add a dp to your RUclips channel. It makes a huge difference for those who don't know you and also from what you keep will be able to show that there's some extra creativity. that you have.
2. With the style in which Ajay speaks, there's some extra emphasis on words ending with a 'T ' (e.g - about sounds like ABOUTTUH) and that thing goes too deep into ears that I almost sometimes jump in my seating position. It's more relevant to people who usually use earphones. So maybe, Ajay can time down a bit of this.
These are for now. I have been just procrastinating giving you guys feedback and finally got a chance to do it.
Also, a quick question:
Are you planning on inviting guests to the show or is it always going to be you two?
Thanks for the series again :)
Thanks for the kind words, and for the useful feedback. Ajay and I will process and discuss it! 🙂
LOVE THE THUMBNAIL ILLUSTRATION
He is right, many of my oriya friends feel offended by rosgolla being begali..
Since I love this channel since it came out and has watched (& waited) for each and every episode each Friday, I will strongly recommend you guys to add subtitles to the videos; that will surely attract a bit more people if not much. And it will be helpful too!
Other than that, great work guys! Keep this coming!!
How to do this? It seems like a lot of work to make a transcript with time stamps.
Yaar, how have y’all gotten so good at this already? The lighting, the set, editing. Loving it ❤
Amit Varma thought deeply about the show for two years. It is his creative vision.
And Vartika Singh brings the aesthetic sense layered upon the bounty of modern technology.
The arguments given in this talk are valid for all countries and cultures. None of the customs, cuisine, and norms have remained true to their original form though each country may have had something original contingent to its conditions. The story of culture is the story of migration, interaction, exchange, and assimilation. They assimilated, modified, transmitted, and metamorphosed in the process. Trade and commerce have helped enormously in this process. That is how diversity is life and homogeneity is stagnation .
Nice talk as always.
gents you are hitting it out of the park with each ep
and on that note, please introduce Ajay to the beauty of rap lyrics
After diving deep into your podcasts, there's something I've picked up on. There are a handful of guests who've truly left a mark on you. That Haryanvi guy, the one who kickstarted “Stage” in his own dialect, he's definitely one of them. And then there's Vikram Doctor. Man, I have a soft spot for him; he's just brilliant. I've yet to come across a food critic who even comes close. Pushpesh Pant? He's right up there, almost neck and neck with Vikram. Oh, and I can't forget Chandra Bhan Prasad. The way you keep referencing his take on diabetes, suggesting there's ample food and no scarcity in the village, it's clear he's made a lasting impression on you.
Thanks for being so observant. Actually many, many, many of my Seen/Unseen guests have left a mark on me. I've been privileged!
Amit is up against the limits of human capacity. Imagine 400 x 4 = 1600 hours of conversation on air. In person, 400 days spent with various people. It's hard for anyone to store it all.
Excellent
There are many Indian societies where the bride changes her given name on marriage. If you believe that one’s name is significant to one’s identity, even of how sees oneself, patriarchy finds way of scrubbing away even that little bit of women’s individuality and autonomy.
Great point. And yeah, depressing!
You guys make TGIF come true! ❤
Don’t create borders. Always open your mind for all things new.
I truly enjoy listening to you guys. I was wondering if you have thought about making the flow more conversational. Perhaps, I have become too familiar with Amit's TSATU pivot points which makes EIE less engaging for me.
I guess the true indian dish is 'khichdi' :D
In a metaphorical sense, every Indian dish is khichdi. ;)
Isn't there a Spotify version of this ?
Although I love how Ajay recommends something other than a book, but still I feel that it should be mandatory for him to recommend at least one book 'coz we know that he's such a well read guy!!
This is a good point. We have shot till episode 16, but from ep 17, this new rule will be introduced for him!
I second this comment.
On a lighter note, I miss Ajay's bare legs 😂... cannot stop saying "make Ajay's legs great again" 😅
If I was a digital native I would run a poll, bare vs pajamas.
Intellectual ecstasy
Thank God for this.
What is bangalore temp suited to ferment?
Sourdough and Kefir : 20 C. Which you get a lot in Bangalore but not elsewhere.
Dosa and Dahi: 36 C.
When will the 13th episode be out?? Eagerly waiting for it!
On its way!!
Apologies for the delay. Here it is: ruclips.net/video/MR6jPTMaF-s/видео.html
Please enable subtitles on all your videos.
Thanks sir 🤌
Sour dough bread is eaten in Northen villages of Himachal and uttarakhand
Please do tell us more. What's it called? What's the recipe?
This is meant for Ajay Shah, please take moments from your book reading time in the day to listen to:
1. Billy Woods (hip hop rabindranath) "aethiopes"
2. Aesop Rock (hip hop shakespeare) "skelethon"
3. Milo aka R.A.P. Ferreira (hip hop arthur schopenhauer) "who told you to think"
This is also meant for my half bengali cousin Amit, I know you will enjoy these artists.
Cheers folks!
Thanks. Will try.
1:34 😂😂😂😂😂
Even Indians were not fond of Tea initially. Lot of advertisements by the Tea Board of India and campaigns by the British led to Tea drinking a daily ritual among Indians!
Yes great example. Today we think tea drinking is Indian. It wasn't always this. The culture evolved, it took in this Chinese/British influence. And that's great.
CAT!
India is a thali where every item in the thali is unique and relevant, melting pot concept is more suitable for American culture.
You say "unique and relevant" as opposed to "melting pot".
Do the pieces in the Indian thali not constantly change through local and global influences? Do lSouth Indian children accept orange marmalade with their dosa? This continuous evolution, which is very much at work in India, is the notion of the melting pot.
@@ajayshah5705 melting pot means forced assimilation it means doesn’t matter where you are from in the American melting pot u have an ‘American’ identity, which means u wear similar clothes, have similar pop culture, celebrate common festivals, food is the most difficult barrier to break but in US breakfast was Americanised in order to create that American identity.
When I said we are more like a thali I never implied that this thali has a fixed composition. This is not even my idea it was William Dalrymple who in one of his writings gave the concept of how Indian identity was more like a salad where every component is separate and it goes well together but if you blend everything it would be distasteful. I just replaced salad with thali as I felt it was more appropriate. So you are welcomed to have your south Indian ever evolving thali but if you would put all the elements of thali in a melting pot and cook it together I am sure even u wid not like the mess it would be🙂
Only disagree with you on one thing. There is no compulsion to assimilate in the US. People choose to assimilate for various reasons.
Think of the person from Bihar who relocates to Bombay. The next generation looks like Bombay folk and not Bihar folk. This is the melting pot.
Assimilation as an option and privilege works hand in hand, ask a college going kid who is the only brown kid in class whether he/she has an option to assimilate or not.
We are discussing conditions in India. :-) An interesting new book is out - The Indians, edited by Devy, Joseph and Korisettar.