Radhika insisted for lunch post Pooja at her place and I gladly accepted, and I am thankful that I did so. The food was served in typical Kerala- traditional way, on banana leaf. All the items were carefully prepared under the careful eye of the host herself, each item had its own distinct taste and a very authentic one and each morsel was satisfying all my taste buds-resulting in over eating of course...just valid. Eating in banana leaf was an experience for sure, I have done it several times before, each time feeling satisfied and happy. It gives you that traditional touch and apart from that zero chemicals makes it more hygienic, it also has poly phenols which has natural antioxidants and antibacterial property- which makes it a much more healthier option for eating food Being with "Vasundhara heights" (The building name where I stay) ladies gang is an experience in itself, all are from different origins but each time abiding to the rules of occasion, few of them opted to serve even when cladded with heavy sarees, and I just felt the food tasted so much better as it was served by close ones with all the smiles on their faces and occasional loving insistence on serving more food, getting the guest nodding with delight. We all enjoyed food, praised the host for the lovely food and we all left with stomach loaded with food and hearts loaded with love. Was it not all about making one feel special?... yes it was. Felt so proud to be Indian and to be part of such rich culture. The culture of India is also diverse and distinct, unlike the cultures that exist in the rest of the world. The vivid and vibrant culture of our country is characterized by its age-old traditions, customs, festivals, religions, etc. Every state in India has its own culture, which distinguishes it from others. Blended with endless emotions and brilliant colours, there are several interesting things about the culture of India, which distinguishes it from the rest of the world. We have a plenty more stuff to feel proud of, But the reality is - it is getting transformed slowly. With the emergence of the globalization, the intermixing of the cultures have made their way in. this is how the westernization has hit India, especially the Indian youth who are the stepping stones of the future India. Where is the young generation? Are they even aware about the treasure that they are refusing to even look at? How would they value it if parents themselves are in great awe for what comes as "western or International" Indians have always been embracing all the cultural influences if you look at the history, because our core belief tells us nothing is right or wrong, so whatever came our way we made it ours. And I feel that’s the beauty of this ancient rich culture which got richer this way, but I feel disturbed when modernisation is equated with westernisation, I feel hurt when our kids take interest in western music without any attempt to know what rich offerings are in store for them in Indian Music, I feel hurt when they very well know who Shakespeare is but do not even know about Kalidas, My son was learning harmonium, he was 6 years then and was very good at it, but one day suddenly decided to stop learning as all his friends teased him - that harmonium is an instrument beggars use in train for asking alms...he took up Guitar and never tried harmonium after that, for me it's been my most unpleasant memory as a mother, I just could not convince him as peer pressure was so high. But my optimistic mind still tells me and assures me that the day is not far-when we will have a u turn resulting in young generation feeling proud for who we are, where we come from and what we as Indians have to offer to the rest of the world.