A gastronomical journey...

Ideally one should eat to live but reverse is true for me and it shows on my waist line.I am grateful to my Ma and Baba, I still appear slim to their myopic eyes.Food is often on my mind and I try to recreate magic of the past(in food matters).One such magical comfort food that comes to my mind distinctly is Khichudi(with a dollop of ghee) with hot alu bhaja or begun bhaja or potol bhaja.Khichudi was synonymous with rain, during my childhood.If it was raining, then we had hot khichudi with deep fried vegetables.But it never tastes the same...as it did once upon a time.
Durga Puja meant luchi and alur dom and bonde for breakfast.Lunch was again a spread of pulao, cholar dal, tomato chatney,chanar dalna,kaanch kolar chop, chaler payesh etc. etc....havent had so many varieties of food at one go, since ages.Anything festive in a bengali household would mean consuming mishti doi..it surely is a piece of heaven.I have some how perfected the art of making mishti doi and hence dont miss it, no matter where I am and also got my daughter hooked to this very bengali delicacy.
I distinctly remember a puja at one of our relative's home,sometime in the month of November and waited for it all year round as the Natai Chondi pujo meant pati shapta,narkoler pithe, puli pithe among other dishes.Janmashtami meant gokul pithe.Winters meant lots of notun gurer payesh and i just can't get over the aroma of it.
The Sunday breakfast, lunch and dinners were something to look forward to.Breakfast would consist of kochuri or singada or dosa but soon I'd be famished, on hearing the pressure cooker whistle to emanate the aroma of kosha mangsho...aahhhh....mutton with potatoes and loads of oily gravy on steamed rice, nothing like it on planet earth.I craved and dreamt about kumdo fuler bhaja, during my pregnancy as dear hubby scoured many parts of Mumbai but all efforts were futile.I did more than make up for it on my next visit home.Food needs no reason-pregnant or not, binge.
The every day food that we had at home, now seem rare treats, courtesy lethargy,my impaired culinary skills,unavailability of raw materials and my yo-yo calorie consciousness.Food, now is more of improvisation of things available, thinly lined with home grown tastes.Ma's day to day recipes are to be tried, tasted(often disastrous versions of the original) on weekends.I have picked up new recipes, tried and liked new dishes but always yearn for the very ordinary yet delectable diet of a quintessential bengali.

A ray of light...

Last night when i was nearly dozing off to sleep, my 3 year old daughter fanned my face with her story book...a distinct sense of deja vu prevailed and my mind slipped down the memory lane into the bylanes of my childhood.The summer evenings coupled with power cuts or load shedding as they are known wasn't as murkier as they ought to be.
I remember Ma, kaki(my aunt) finishing off with cooking dinner and getting ready with bhajabhuji and mudi to be munched on during the power cuts, on the terrace.The cool breeze on the terrace did bring some respite but what was really apealling was the munchies and being a part of the gossip that my Ma and kaki had about their work places, about their in-laws(most interesting!!!), their friends, grand mothers, price of vegetables and weaving matrimonial alliances between children of their aqcuaintences.Some evenings, I was spending this "power cut" time with my Baba's camp-Baba and kakus(uncles).Their agenda for discussion was entirely different-Mohan bagan, East Bengal, European soccer,Kapil Dev, Gavaskar and the futility of all political parties(somethings never change!).
I actually looked forward to the power cuts because they meant a one and half to two hour hiatus from studies.Well, I could study with light from battery operated lamps or lanterns but i did not on the pretext that it hurt my eyes and my Ma gave in.As the power would be back, everyone got back to their mundane tasks of late evening, primarily watching TV and us kids had to get back to studies.If I still lingered on the terrace Ma would go ballistic about how I was wasting time, what would become of me, admonish that kids from middle class bengali families have only one route to rise in the rung than their predecessors-study!
The candescent memories of power cuts are cocooned in my heart and maybe my kid grows up to think that I belong to the dark ages, cherishing memories of power cuts!!!Never mind...

Still single?!!

It is a question that plagues S big time.S is any girl next door, hails from a middle class family, educated, working, on the wrong side of 20, horizontally challenged(read fat) and is waiting for love or marraige(whichever is earliest) to happen.Meanwhile S's parents are busy bribing the Gods(of various religious sects) and running from one astrologer to another...just one wish-getting S married and peace shall prevail on earth.
S seems to have a perfect mellange of the criteria required in matrimonial ads (fair,slim,beautiful,educated and from good family)except the slim factor.This alone is a mamoth problem.S being the youngest in the family, pampered to the hilt, has never touched base with reality.S, like Alice in wonderland, is under the impression that prince charming shall woo her off her feet as he is going to overlook the outer appearance.He should connect with the soul.But alas, that does not fit into the arranged marraige scenario, prince charming will never get a chance to connect to the soul as he decides the fate of poor women after having a dekko at a lifeless pice of paper called photograph.Why is it so....is a different issue and lets not get into that.
Ideally in a scenario like this S should get moving, pump iron and loose those extra kilos but S is so diligently lethargic, nothing gets her motivated not even the fact that time is running out and she could step into 30s and still be a single.What a sin!S blissfully, beleives that she is always right and so pays no heed to the advice of her well wishers.If only, she was right and prince charming does come knocking at her door, oblivious of her girth.S does go on crash diets only to come crashing (with a vengeance) on samosa, chat, chole bhature, biryani , rasgulla and food of similar ilk.
S is (in)famous for her mood swings and at times decides to remain a spinster because she is not convinced how looks come into a marraige and why should she suck up to some guy.True but this is how it is!S has been living in a big city and getting acquainted to the corporate world, not wanting to lag behind in the rat race, splurges money on wardrobe and accessories.In abysmally low situations(Zero bank balance)as this, S makes up her mind to do what it needs to get a husband.
While S blows hot and cold over whether to be married or not and zeroes in on her reason to get married, I hope and pray she does find the love of her life.God(who, I guess, is a man,has inflicted all misery on women) should take notice of her plight!!

Tangent!

The name of the post has nothing to do with geometry or trigonometry.It's about some weird people I have crossed paths with and there was never a common ground that connected us.I found them so fascinating,anyways,they are firmly etched on my mind like the stone sculptures of yore.Memory is defined as the persistent effect of an emotion experienced in the past and if the experience was funny....I let it linger on my mind.Let's get into the act....

#Character1-She was paranoid of gaining weight.And this had affected her to such an extent that every time there was food within her sight, she broke it down to the minutest level.Like the ingredients at the back of a package.Or maybe even more..to the atomic level.I believe, it was not a conscious effort but something automatised due to constant repetition.If she caught me having a grape she would specify the glucose and fructose content in it and what effects would it have on me...there's more...whether the kidney would process the glucose or it would be stored as adipose tissue making my circumference grow by leaps and bounds.She inspired dread in me(in her presence ONLY) for food.If a grape was so guilty in the accretion of my waistline..imagine what a jalebi did-I gobbled it before she could react!I, being a complete foodie and fighting the battle of the bulge...I do remember her words, when I cant button my jeans!

#Character2-She was always dolled up like a character out of Ekta Kapoor's serial-coiffured hair, a curl in place, captivating(due to innovation,everytime) bindi, red hot lipstick(seemed as though one prick & her lips would bleed),sparkling bangles and gaudy sarees.Of course she looked ravishing(if you turned a blind eye to her weight, i.e.)!She is an absolute darling, very endearing.But her idiosyncrasies are outlandish.Her interest in her neighbours, her knowledge about all their possessions(ranging from their car\flat\furniture to their sandals), relationships, maids and bills was commendable.Whenever i visited her(not often), I was made privy to classified information about friends, neighbours and strangers.She was like "sansani" from aaj tak news channel!

#Character3-A minor irritant...She was one lady who was so charmed by me(atleast it felt good to believe so)she had to plagiarize my sense of clothing,hairstyle,career aspirations,hobbies and what not.There were times when we were dressed in exactly the same t-shirt, jeans, shoes,bag and hair style, too.Like identical twins(Sita aur Gita), we could never get lost in Kumbh Mela.The similarity in every aspect was uncanny and visible to every one else, not involved.Our kids have names that rhyme- a lifelong reminder that I influenced someone, so much.

#Character4- This person is interesting to a fault.She is intelligence, knowledge,tradition,modernity,spiritualism personified....& I'm just kidding!She impersonates to be at the zenith of everything that is percieved to be good and respectable.I kind of know her reaction to every situation but still i verify...& BINGO!A true epitome of flatulence and paradigm of gasconade.

The above people were not the only one of their kind.They are just specimen copies and everyone comes accross multiple clones of them.They spice up our lives and are fodder for a hearty laughter.More such dissections of characters will be continued...

A Birthday party!

This piece of literatur bears no resemblance to any person living or dead...but events & happenings are not fictitious.

Venue: Home or Mac D's or a restaurant or terrace

Centre of attraction: Birthday kid? Naaaaah...it's the mother and most of the other female guests!

Why: Look at their recession defying attire. loaded with gold and zardozi saris and layers of make up.

I empathise with the guys and completely understand why they look so lost. The wives' sartorial exuberance has burnt a gaping hole in their wallets and after every such birthday party the hole gets bigger as there will be comparisions drawn about what Mrs Sharma has and what Mrs Verma lacks and the best has to be owned, to be flaunted at the next such get together.
Aah the kids...they are blissfully unaware of the undercurrents till one kid starts a nursery rhyme all the rest of the poor kids are prompted to join in or maybe lead. Kids are bribed too..if he\she can recite so and so rhyme then he'll be lucky enough to visit Mac D the following weekend.Kids are kids and some don't fall prey to such bribes, they are taken care of after getting home(spanked for having ruined the parent's reputation).
Just when you are engrossed in the kids play (I can't find where else to rest my eyes..not able to withstand all the glitter from the gold) you could hear a female falseto alarm....move closer and eveasdrop....sounds like unnecessary bantering to the point of worthlessness. All members are alert and it's like the swiss knife syndrome-armed with as many tools (examples in this case) for maximum number of undefined situations. One member starts talking about her relatives abroad and the rest pitch in -they have several more kith and kin, abroad. No matter what, everyone else has also been there and done that, usually in a much bigger way. The men are enjoying the boniferous party, discussing work, shares, politics and everything that's important under sun. They are men...god's gift to (Wo)mankind.
I always wanted to run away from the spot because I couldn't fit in with the women-naah I'm too snobbish to break ice with them, the men....naah-it is not considered good to bond with the opposite gender, the kids...yes maybe but not to the point they are climbing all over me. But, now when i think in retrospect, it was a lot of fun..just be a silent spectator to all the drama around and enjoy! Looking forward to many such birth day parties....hope i get invited, though.

Dil hai chota sa..

I am so intrigued by my little one..she makes me think about things I have never given a second thought.Some days back we watched the movie "Juno" where the female lead is pregnant and A had a barrage of questions, some interesting ones were like did you have toys in your tummy, if not what did i do all the time and if there were food stores in my tummy..where did she get her supply of food from??Another night when she went to bed she wondered why doesn't her teddy close its eyes while sleeping..i had to explain it doesnt have eyelids.There are more scientific questions like why does it rain why does it get dark when it's night why does it get brighter during day?She doesnt always buy my story...sometimes i like it..because i'm apalled by her inquisitiveness but not when she's driving me up the wall.She is one person who has taught me to be patient....because of the obvious reason that I can't reason with her!

Why do clouds move along with her?She came home hitting her friend and when asked why did she do so..well, she felt like.yes how audacious!I asked her how would she feel if someone hit her...she kept wondering and asked how would she feel, not good and she beleived me(I thought so, atleast).There have been no further hitting cases.

My little Michelangelo has been an art lover..yes it shows on the walls.& Now she has started with MS paint.Sometimes, it looks to me like a briliant piece of art, bears a distant resemblance to a caterpillar or ballon or dog.Proud Momma!I am happy and proud in my illusions, what so ever.

I have it firmly ensconced in my mind that she needs her space to grow just like a plant, I as a mother can provide her with sunlight, water and oxygen(does it sound like out of a science book?there's more..) she can produce as much cholorphyl(!!!!) as she wishes to.But i guess, kids are like swamp they absorb everything....just let them be, like the ad-aaj khelne do.Pressurising or living the parents dream throught them is killing for the child's individuality.I can see my 3 year old has her own personality(it'll change over the years) and she is clear about her preferences(which drive me crazy READ LUNATIC)-be it clothes or food.But there has to be a balance between her preferences and mine!It does feel good to have someone to boss over and not be bitched behind.She has started rebelling..she asks why should she listen to me, what would happen if she didn't, why does Mamma make the rules???No wonder she has taught me patience..

The views and ideas expressed above are solely mine and I'm no expert on parenting!

Yeh dosti..

I am sure I am not only one who goes into moaning from Sunday afternoon, because Monday is just a few hours away.But the last weekend i had was so much fun, in a long time.Friday welcomed, my new and much younger friend to my "new" home.S is bubbly and lot alike me...birds of the same feather flock together.
I was in no mood to display my culinary skills to the best of my abilities and I better not do that, victims of my cooking catasprophies have warned me!So we let our hair down and had "ghar ka khana", chai, topped it with rosgollas.Well, in this foreign land anything remotely resembling rosogollas are a welcome treat so i leave the size, shape, texture and taste to your imagination...
My 3 yr old kiddo A was overwhelmed to see a homosapien, co existing in the same house(apart from 2 of us i.e., we are not apes)!I had a feeling that people ought to have friends same age as them but for sometime now, i have had friends ranging in various ages.Some as old as my mother some a little younger and some 10 years younger than me like S.S taught me some salsa moves too.
There is something about us, Indians.I love the cameraderie, the informality, the joy we derive by sharing things...dissecting mithunda's movies over chai.I have found another friend R.He again is out and out fun and both us beleive in same religion-Mithunism!People with great sense of humour bring out the best in me(best by my standards).Recently we had a get together at my place, I was maybe the hostess but poor R was the chef of the evening!He certainly needs to be applauded for the dexterity with which he served us naan and kadhi-awesome!The very fact that R cooked while the rest of us had fun, I think will be considered rude in most civilized parts of the world, where a dinner would mean a table well laid out with forks & knives placed equidistant from the dish and the radius of the main course dish should be proportional to the radius of the dessert dish in some way.We, on the other hand can eat off each other's dish.If this is uncivilized so be it....everyone involved is happy.
Hope R & S will be more than happy to read this and looking foward to many more such days & evenings that I can remember and pen them down!!!(I am trying to make R happy so that i can taste lots of his "haath ka khana" ).
Jhakkas dosti...apun ki dosti jhakas bole to apun haar tu moti,
apun sabji tu roti, apun pani tu tanki..bura mat manna...apun tarzan tu monkey!Hurrah hurrah hurrah!!!!

Har taraf har jaga..beshumaar aadhmi...

Today, I felt like writing about all the different kinds of people I have come across in my life..and the changes in me(I'm no BIG shot to be talked about!).As a kid i was greatly influenced my baba and till date he is the greatest influence, in my life.My Baba being the simplest, kindest and innocent(est!)guy I have come across i beleived be good to everyone and everyone will be good to you.But life was quite contrary to this...there are bullys, bossy guys, morons, jealous, malicious, know it all types, weird, psycho and every other type except good guys, ALSO.
During school and college days, there weren't many fellow classmates who left me perplexed.My vocabulary of swear words burgeoned as i entered the corporate world.It is truely amazing how each person percieves things.Lots and lots of bullies who took the credit away for what i did...but i still beleived being good to them, i will be able to change them just like the triumph of good over evil a La Ramayan style.Although, I knew my stuff right and better than most guys i kept quite during meetings assuming my boss to read my mind.But alas, that never happened.Made me wonder..my baba's be good and everyone will be good to you-does it actually work?No it does not, not always, not in these times of cut throat competition.Not that you have to be a bully yourself but one requires tact.So i got it right i needed to be tactful...no that alone didnt work.I had friends who were extremely pally when there was no common interest involved but otherwise they showed me their demonous side and i gaped open mouthed...was that my friend back stabbing me?My misunderstanding(i thought)..he is so caring, only numerous such misunderstandings(in my mind) confirmed that no there are these kind of people who act friendly but backstab you.
Now trotted along into my life the know it all kind of people.Anything that I was doing, they had done it already and in a much better way..so i learnt to steer clearly away from such people.There were ofcourse the sinister people who never made an effort to hide their intentions.Then there were people who(in my vocabulary are non living things)are alive because they are not dead.The sycophants...if you are not grounded you maybe buy their story and start building castles in the air.
My encounter with all these kind of people has left me wiser.If they had not walked into my life i would still be my coy self...waiting things to fall into my lap.Yes, My baba is right be good, sincerity pays but along with being good one needs to be tactful, alert and protect onself.I matter(atleast to myself).
Just when i had categorized all the above type of (BAD) people along came another breed...they are polite, friendly, helpful, rude, jingoistic depending on their temperament of the day(just like today's special menu).I am not able to fit them into any category that i have defined, in my mind because they are not constant!
All the above types of people alone would have left me empty but my 3 year old kiddo, my husband, my baba and my friends make my life wholesome and help me keep my head over my shoulders(just like everyone else's!!!).

India!

Things we take for granted, make you long for them when they are not around.I have been pondering on this, ever since i landed in Sweden.The ad "hamara Bajaj" moved me to tears..so lively down to earth!The ubiquitous cows on the road the pani puri walas..they are so much a part of our life and traffic.Not that i miss the pollution and stench but i do miss the auto rides, the lip smacking pani puri,hot jalebis, the accessibility to everything, the knocking at a friend's door without having to take an appointment with him\her.
When my Maa complains about the rising temperature, i secretly envy, living in a cold place having to check the thermometer outside my window before I dress up every morning and decide how many layers of clothing do I need!I can not comprehend how you can complain about sun..I'm in dire need of it.Reminds me of people drying chillies, pickles and clothes in the sun.Yes, drying clothes too!
I wonder how was it to run around in BATA hawaii chapal..now it seems like FREEDDOM.
One needs to get out of India to understand the true value of India.When I see the foreigners in kurtas and embroidered bags, my heart screams thats Indian, from my India!
Chicken flavoured with mangoe chutney-Jai Ho!
Slum dog milllionare-Jai ho!
Never felt this sense of belonging to India, before. But now, away from motherland, my heart goes mmmm...mmmm..mmmm...
It is election time and I hope we Indians choose the befitting leader.Was so ecstatic to see sites like jaagore.com and bleedindia.com.
Indian youth is very much into it!Jai Ho!!!