Food Insecurity in a SNAP

  The SNAP Challenge is a weeklong experiment to get a glimpse of what life can be like for low-income Americans living on food stamps. The average daily food stamp benefit is only $4 per person per day. I took on this challenge for a “Justice and Civil Society” course in college to better understand the difficulties and unfairness of our nation’s lack of food security. My limit for a week’s worth of meals was

Read more ...

Towards Organic Agriculture and Healthier Lifestyles!

By 10 am on February 18th, the Profugo house was filled with people from nearby areas. Some of them came walking a long distance. Our first public program on agriculture, a farmer’s training in collaboration with Kerala state agriculture department was being held. At 10.30 am we started the inaugural session with a prayer song and Program Manager Aneesh welcomed the gathering. Mr. Jose, a ward member, presided over the function. Mr. Alex Mathew, the

Read more ...

Celebrating Onam

Onam is the biggest and the most important festival of the state of Kerala. It is a harvest festival and is celebrated with joy and enthusiasm all over the state by people of all communities. According to a popular legend, the festival is celebrated to welcome King Mahabali, whose spirit is said to visit Kerala at the time of Onam. Onam is celebrated in the beginning of the month of Chingam, the first month of Malayalam Calendar

Read more ...

The Taste of the Color Red

“Think moonless, think midnight, think darkness… the star spangled sky, against a stark blue-black background. This is what ajrakh, meaning blue in Arabic, is likened to.” This line from an article in the Hindu, gives a fitting visual for someone who is unfamiliar with this art form. “The word” the article states “could have come from “aaj rakh” (keep it for the day), the longer the wait between each process, the finer the result.” The

Read more ...

The Grand Masala: Chicken Kathi Rolls

Kathi rolls are a popular, easy to eat dish. Whether you have tried them in an Indian household or off of a food truck in New York City, these are definitely a hit. They are also not that hard to make! If you are making these for a get together, you can make all the components ahead of time and just assemble when you are ready to serve them. Whether you eat these for lunch,

Read more ...