In today’s world, distrust and religious extremism are on the rise, fuelled by the spewing of rampant hatred and venomous propaganda. And for what? Ah yes, for shallow political gains. As a result, the world is burning. This already is bad and sad enough.
However, there is a far more dangerous and disturbing trend that is gaining momentum at an alarming rate. What these shallow-minded bigots are desperate to achieve is to poison the evolving, impressionable minds of our nation’s future generations. I need not stress enough, this will have a devastating impact, if left unchecked. Nothing short of Apocalypse. Something no one in the right frame of mind would ever want. I sincerely hope that, by the time people realise this, it is not too late. Like that saying goes “সবার উপর মানুষ সত্য, তাহার উপরে নাই।“ Above all is humanity, none else. All religions preach love, brotherhood, and peace. What have gone terribly wrong are the translations. Anyway, let me take this opportunity to wish all of you Merry Christmas. May sanity and conscience return. Amen!!!
0 Comments
This one is pretty special and close to my heart.
I have had always been extremely fond of shawls. Perhaps, a side effect of watching 'Felu da' movies - from "Shonar Kella" to "Joy Baba Felunath", our favourite sleuth donned shawl with such elan! Inconspicuous and unglamorous as it may be, a shawl, if properly wrapped, is surprisingly super-efficient in cutting out the cold. However, as a kid, it was quite difficult keeping the folds in place. The sides invariably kept falling down whenever I moved. Since I was unwilling to give up on my love, but kept failing miserably, my mother came to the rescue. What she used to do is wrap the shawl around me, and then tie up the ends at the back - effectively converting a shawl into a poncho!!! Problem solved. I grew up in a region, where the temperature usually goes down to as low as 2-3°C at night during peak winters. Monkey caps were therefore a must for kids!!! To keep one's head, ears and neck safe. But what about dignity??? Anyway, notice the torn edges on the cap near my mouth??? You guessed right. I used to bite and chew that portion - an involuntary action to express my loathing for the "Monkey cap", perhaps. Wonder how many of you did that too??? When it comes to street foods, Kolkata arguably packs the meanest punch. No other city in India provides a wider variety of gastronomic wonders, right from ‘Jhalmuri’, ‘Ghhoti gorom’, ‘Phuchka’, ‘Aalu Kabli’ to ‘Mughlai Porota’ and ‘Chowmein’. Not to forget the legendary ‘Chop’ (Aalo / vegetable / mocha, etc.) and the ‘Beguni’ and the ‘Phuluri’. However, my all-time favourite has always been the ‘Chicken Roll’. Here’s the secret of the best Kolkata ‘Roll’: it has more to do with the outer, crispy coating (i.e. the ‘Porota’) than the content inside (meat, egg, onion, lemon juice, ketchup, etc.).
The town I grew up in had limited number of food joints. Hence, whenever I visited Kolkata, one of the things I eagerly looked forward to was the ‘Roll’. Be it Shiraz or Bedouin or Bawarchi, every mouthful was pure bliss. To this day, I haven’t come across tastier Rolls in any other city. |
ConceptOnce in a while, we all reminisce about the good ol' childhood days. Back when the lifestyle had a carefree rhythm. Archives
August 2020
|