garba / raas lesson

So, today after much hemming and hawing, we went to the Vibha raas/garba lesson, which was conducted in our very own supreme court. We were so busy hemming and hawing that we clean forgot to carry sticks, but they had smartly anticipated our foolishness, and were selling sticks. The instructor was a guy from nvidia called Sahil Shah.
Anyway, I wanted to record the details, as I am sure they'll be required in years to come.

Garba

• Each step is actually 3 movements. If you are really clumsy or tired, for each step, you can just move one leg and transfer weight to that leg, but the right way to do it is to move the right foot, transfer weight back to the left foot, and then back to right foot again leaving the left foot free for the next move. Or vice versa, of course. Garba is always done in a circle, so the directions are relative to that frame of reference.
  
• There are just a few basic steps :
• Forward : Move one foot forward at a angle to the line of dance (along which you are facing) (and do the back forth rocking motion as well).
• Back : Move the foot back. One option is to actually face part of the way backwards, or another option to just stay facing forwards, and only move the foot backwards.
• Quarter circle : Move forward and turn as well, so that at the end of the step you are facing 90 degrees from the direction you were facing earlier.
• Half Circle : Turn 180 degrees in one move.
• So, there are a few styles that Sahil taught us :
• Do-Tali : A 4 step move : Forward (R), Forward (L), Quarter Circle (to face inward : ccw), Quarter Circle (to face backwards : ccw). The transition from step 4 to step 1 is a bit tricky, but it works out because you naturally turn less than 180 degrees and it allows you to change orientation as you move around the circle.
• Daudhyu : 1.5 circles : An 8 step move : Forward(R), Forward(L), Back(R), Back(L), Forward(R), Forward(L), Half-Circle (turning from the inside : ccw), Half-Circle(turning from the outside : ccw) .
• Popatyu : 6 steps : Back(R), Back(L), Forward(R), Forward(L), Half-Circle(inside : ccw), Half-Circle(outside : ccw)
  

Raas
5 beats for hitting the sticks : Right (with your partner), Left (with your partner) , Down (by yourself), Right (with partner) , Down (by yourself). In a line formation, the 5th step in when you move over and change partners. The down moves are really free-format, you can do them wherever you want, and turn and do other such style-giri. The other 3 moves, at least make sure you face your partner.

Etiquette
Always join and leave lines in pairs to avoid messing up the rest of the people. It's not about hitting sticks. Just touching sticks at the beat. So, move the sticks gently, and don't be too worried if you miss a touch. And definitely, make sure you don't hit anyone's fingers.

Mixed bean soup

We bought this bag of mixed beans from Safeway a few months back and finally boiled them (in the pressure cooker) this week, and finally finally I cooked them today. I decided to make an experimental bean soup, which turned out surprisingly well. I pureed three tomatoes, and ground a handful of peanuts. In a pot, heat olive oil and add some dill, then quickly add in the peanuts, fresh tomato puree, and about 1/2-1 spoon of garlic paste. Let it cook for a little bit, and then add the boiled beans and let it all simmer for as long as it takes to become tasty :). I added some dhaniya powder, chilli powder, and garam masala (not the sweetish one) too, and I guess it must have helped the taste :D

I also made Pongal; boil yellow moong dal and rice (1:1) in a pot till everything is soft and nicely done. Then fry jeera and coarsely crushed peppercorns (black) in hot ghee (the ghee should be really hot so that the jeera immediately darkens a lot). Then add the rice-dal mixture and stir for a while. It's really comfort food :)