Allô Chatrath

 

Quite a few of us are eagerly waiting to watch the Spain versus Argentina football match. Though I would love to see Argentina win, here are I few photographs that I took a few years back while walking in a narrow lane in Madrid, Spain:

                                                    Photo sourced from Education Times. Punjab has begun a phased rollout of its menstrual health curriculum for girls in government schools across all 23 districts. Backed by teacher training and pilot feedback, the programme seeks to normalise period conversations in classrooms.  https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/punjab-launches-special-menstrual-health-curriculum-for-female-schoolgoers/  This is a laudable initiative and it is hoped that other states would also think on these lines 

I am stung to see two full page ads in English newspapers exhorting us to buy 'California Almonds'...... I would rather buy our own home grown Kashmiri almonds to help our Indian farmers than to buy 'California Almonds' imported from USA- a country that tries to humiliate India by slapping huge tariffs on Indian exports to USA.  

I visited Antigua, Guatemala in 2018. It is a small city surrounded by volcanoes in southern Guatemala. It’s renowned for its Spanish colonial buildings, many of them restored following a 1773 earthquake that ended Antigua’s 200-year reign as Guatemala’s colonial capital. Notable architectural examples include baroque La Merced church. It’s an integral part of the city’s famous Semana Santa, a holy week with parades and rituals.  

  I travelled in Bundi district of Rajasthan in December 2025. It was an eye-opener to see lush green fields all around. But a bigger surprise was to come on my table when I ordered my lunch of rice and dal. The plate of rice had long grains of rice spreading a nice aroma all around. Then I came to know that Bundi is a top rice-producing district in Rajasthan, renowned for producing premium quality Basmati and aromatic rice varieties (e.g., 1121, Sugandha) using, largely due to fertile soil and irrigation from the Chambal river system. I was told that the major exporter of Bundi rice is Bundi based Tansen Company. The region's rice is highly valued for its fragrance, taste, and is exported to countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia.