The magic world of books

Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.  ~Charles W. Eliot

I dont know when and how I had entered the unfathomable world of books and reads but it was quite early days. Those times it was not the so called "books and novels", but light reading of Champak, and comics "Billu", "Chacha Choudhary" and "Pinki"s. Ma wanted me to read the ones which were in Bengali or English but I always preferred the Hindi ones. Our train journeys were always consorted by Nandans and Champaks. 
My first date with English Literature was because of a dear friend who had gifted me a "Hardy Boys" novel. There was no looking back after that. The "Hardy Boys" and the "Nancy Drew" and then Charles Dickens occupied all my free times and with that came the unsatiable craving for more and more books. Those days I often dreamt of owning a library of my own, the library would have a nice cosy floor-sitting area , and would have books on ladder accessible shelfs , shelves which would touch the floor and reach the ceiling , books from all over the world, from encyclopedias to novels to poetry to comics. 
Then came the day of my rendezvous with Bengali Literature. It was just after my 10th board exams and I had no idea of how to spend the 3 months long vacation. Ma gave me the much acclaimed Bibhuti Bhushan Bandopadhyay's Pather Panchali(It was made into a film by the Oscar winning Director Satyajit Ray and was one of the greatest film ever made). After that my love for Bengali Literature too grew in leaps and bounds from Sarat Chandra Chatterji and other yesteryear writers to contemporary writers.Books are the best company I ever had(ofcourse after my parents, husband and good friends). They have made me laugh in bitter times and made me cry in good times. I get so addicted while reading a particular book that I feel like finishing the whole book at one go.
Here are some of my all time favorites, which I have read I dont know how many times:
1. Chander Pahar - the mountain of the moon (Bibhuti Bhushan Bangopadhyay)
2. Parineeta - Sarat Chandra Chatterji.
3. Diary of Anne Frank
4 The hound of the baskervilles - Sherlock Holmes (Arthur Canon Doyle)
5 The whole Harry potter series
6 Kite Runner - Khaled hosseini
7 Great Expectation - Charles Dickens
And many many more to add and add on.
With the latest technology, reading good reads is much easier and with the same "flipping and dog earing of pages" feeling of ebooks, what is only missing is the smell of the books. May be a time would come when the IT revolution would make that too possible(amen).

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Tomato stuffed

I am not in the mood of writing much today.. So here goes just the recipe.
You need:
A few tomatoes, preferably round ones
Boiled Potatoes, grated ginger ,
chopped coriander and chillies,
sweet corn if you like
Scoop out the center pulp. You may use the pulp in any other recipes. Mash the boiled potatoes , add sweet corn, chillies , ginger, coriander, salt and a little chaat masala. You can replace potato with grated paneer. Fill in the tomatoes. Place in an oil smeared microwaveable plate. Season a little with salt and black pepper. You may or may not sprinkle a few drops of oil. Microwave on high for 6 mins. The time may vary based on softness of the tomatoes and pwer of microwave. so keep checking after 2-3 minutes. Enjoy!!

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Spring onion paratha with mint chutney

So the hot summer with long sunny days are around the corner. In Texas summers are every much like the ones we have in North India, except for the fact that they are very dry with very little humidity. Its the time of the year when we like to stay indoors during the day and come out only when the sun has bid a goodbye. We love to devour cool drinks and light lunch and dinners. The mint and coriander chutneys, raw mangoes and lassi make their way to kitchen.
So one fine evening we decided to have a nice light dinner packed with nutrition. We opted  for Spring onion paratha, pudina chutney and sprout bean salad.
For Spring onion paratha: a cup of finely chopped spring onion greens, a little chopped coriander , a little chopped spinach (if you desire), a teaspoon of ajwain , a pinch of salt, very finely chopped green chillies and ginger and wheat flour. With all the ingredients make a dough adding little water in parts. Now make roti balls of the dough. Roll them into rotis on a polythene sheet as the dough is quite sticky. Roast the paratha on a skillet. Drop a few drops of oil in the end to fry the paratha or you may simply add butter over the roasted paratha. Serve hot with Chutney.
For the pudina chutney: a bunch of pudina , a bunch of coriander, 3 -4 green chillies, lemon juice, salt to taste and a pinch of sugar, 2-3 cloves of garlic, a slice of ginger. Grind all these in a mixture. You may replace the lemon juice with tomato. Serve with Paratha... Enjoy the cool refreshing meal.

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At the end of Day. In the land of Dreams ..দিনের শেষে ঘুমের দেশে ..

Sun is breaking across the snow capped Kanchenjunga, throwing its first rays into the sleepy town of Ghum. So aptly named, Ghum(ঘুম "sleep" in Bengali) , this beautiful town of North Bengal is ever so sleepy. Mou had come with Sagar just after their marriage some 30 years back. They were completely enchanted by the beautiful tea gardens, the meandering Teesta, the serenity of the town and the innocence of the people. Sagar and Mou decided to come back and take root in this town in the evenings of their lives.

The evening had indeed come but without Sagar. As Mou sits in the easy chair in her balcony basking in the morning sun, sipping a cup of tea she remembers the bygone days.
Mou had just completed her BA when she got married to Sagar. Although being an arranged marriage , she always felt she had known him since time immorial.  It was his persuasion that she completed post Graduation and then went for a doctoral degree in English Literature. It was not easy with infant Sahil already into this world, but Sagar's immense support and help her conquer the battle. Soon she got a job of a lecturer and with time soon she turned a professor. Meanwhile Sagar climbed the steps of his success.But time could not erase the imprint of Ghoom on their minds and souls. It became a ritual to visit Ghoom whenever they visited Kolkata during vacations. The sleepy beautiful town gave them the much needed respite from their busy schedule. Soon Sagar and Mou decided to make a small house in Ghoom for their yearly refuge. But who would have known that Sagar would be able to enjoy his Dream home only a year. The cruel hands of destiny snatched him from Mou and Sahil. It was devastating for both of them, and for Mou the loss was boundless. But she had to compose herself for her 12 year old son. Fighting against all odds she tried her to give her son all the very bests. Time rolled on but their annual trip to Ghoom did not cease.
And it was during these trips that had brought a whole new meaning to her life. It was a morning like today's , and she was sitting in the balcony sipping tea as now. Sahil then a handsome grownup of 24 had gone for a morning stroll. Sahil was leaving for abroad in a month to study medicine. He never wanted to go, but it was his Ma's suasion that made him agree. Mou sat there wondering how she would live with Sahil gone to such a distant land. And there stood on her gate a young girl in her late teens, with clothes which were complete rags, and with a body shivering like a feather. She came up-to Mou and meekly asked if she could give her a job, any work for that matter. Mou was about to give a blunt NO , when something within stopped her. She looked at the girl intently. Somehow she knew the girl had just survived a cyclone. She asked her to come inside and gave her a cup of tea, and toasts. But the girl wont have it. Instead she cried and cried and cried. Within her sobbing and hiccups, all she could muster was she was sold by her uncle to some aged man for money and she was to be taken to some country for what she did not know(but Mou knew).  That was not the end of her plight. Back at her so called home in a small village a stone's throw from Dhoom, the orphan girl was molested by her uncle. She didn't have nerve to go back. Mou could see the truth and desperation in the girl's eyes. She did not have the heart to turn her away. Mita remained with her. Soon Sahil left for higher studies and Mita became her only companion at home. She would tidy the house, prepare the dinner , decorate flowers in the vase, and then wait for Mou to return from University. She started calling Mou "Mamoni" .Mamoni taught her to read and write. Though from a very poor family the girl had a flair for arts. She would prepare small decorative virtually out of nothing, would arrange the flowers with such beauty that the floral arrangements almost looked professional. Mita often told Mamoni she was very fortunate that Mamoni had given her this sanctuary, but there were many unfortunate girls in her village who were desolate and abandoned. And then Mou decided to take voluntary retirement and permanently move to Dhoom.
At Dhoom, with Mita to assist her she set up an abode for all helpless women and girls; Started off with just two of them , the abode has turned into a small scale industry for handicrafts and other art works. Mita looks after all the production work while Mou looks after all the official and financial stuff.
Meantime Sahil has settled abroad and wants to take Ma with him, but Mou refrains. She knows her true home is here ..in the land of dreams where every body calls her "Mamoni"..loving Ma 

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Narkol er nadu (coconut laddu)

Yet again my exams are knocking at my door. My evil heart wants to sit and write long blogs but my rational mind stops it and makes me sit and study. There are thoughts and stories coming into shape which I want to pen down but time restricts me. Why is it always when I have exams or loads of assignments or Thesis work, do these line of thoughts crop into my mind? And when I am completely free (idling like a crocodile basking in the sun) I dont feel like writing.
Those who know me , know how I love to devour sweets. Ah , this is one thing of which I never get bored. As a kid , I used to sneak a chocolate or a bit of jaggery (the typical bengali patali or khejur aka gur from date). And so smart of me, I use to neatly smear the tiny teeth marks on the jaggery or choco. On being interrogated by Ma, the poor household ant was blamed. Of-course Ma knew who was the ant of the house. My craving for sweets is insatiable. During my trip to home my Ma prepares the best of desserts. My Baba gets all possible bengali sweets. With marriage there's a double bonus from my Ma-in law as well. Back at US I keep bullying the poor husband for sweets, and he keeps getting chocos and icecreams and cakes for me. But as age is creeping , I try resisting myself from these very very fatty desserts.

Narkol er nadu or coconut laddu is one typical dessert which every bengali loves. Once upon a time, when there ware no microwaves, and no grated coconut readily available , preparing this delicacy was a big project. But thankfully with micro, this is the easiest dessert I have ever made. Very little time and effort consuming , the net outcome is superb. My hubby loves to creep and finish the laddus and I simply love it when he does that.
The recipe goes like this:
All you need: A packet of frozen grated cocunut. A tin of milkmaid. Sugar to taste
Take the grated coconut in a microwave-able bowl. Microwave on high for 3 mins. Stir . Microwave again for 2-3 minutes. Now add condensed milk. For a packet of coconut I add half tin condensed milk. Stir well. Now microwave for 8 minutes stirring after every 2 minutes. You can add a little milk as well. Now add litlle sugar as per taste. Again microwave for 4 minutes stirring every minute. The color should change a little to brown. Also the mixture would now start releasing oil. Keep it for a few minutes but do not let it cool completely. Make laddus and enjoy.

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Tale of Many cities

Recently I was watching "Wake up Sid" the best part I liked about the movie was the Mumbai city and love for the city. Each city or town ..small or big , cosmopolitan or provincial, modern or Victorian each have its own lifeline, a heart beat.
During my 30 years on this planet I have lived in various cities of my country and now in a foreign land. All had a deep impact on my soul and life. Heres a short account of all the major cities of my life. Sorry friends for boring you, but earnestly I cant keep it very short.
Though I was born in "The City of Joy", I never lived there for more than a month. From Calcutta to Kolkata , once I was completely in love with this city, now I am not quite sure. Kolkata reminds me of  the "Howrah Bridge", the jhal muris , the crowded electric trains and ofcourse sweet nanihal. I still remember the sheer joy of the first glimpse of the Howrah Bridge during our annual Kolkata vacation when our train approached the Howrah Station. And grandparents' pampering with loads of hogging and tons of idling oh it was pure bliss. How badly I miss those days.
Next on the list of my habitats would be Jabalpur, the place where I first came out of my Ma's and Baba's lap, the place where I made my first friends of life and the place where I took my first step towards the unfathomable ocean of knowledge and education. I can not forget till death my alma mater "Christ Church Girl's School", nor the beautiful dhuandhaar and bhedaghat, the amazing "Balancing rock"(a rock balanced on another rock) ,nor simply the 8km commutation by rickshaw to school. Small and big nostalgias of this city keep haunting me time and again.
After a decade of stay at Jabalpur we moved to Gwalior.. the land of Tansen and also the Scindias. I owe to Gwalior a lot many things.. my education, start of my career, good friends, a flair for arts and many more. My school from 7-12 standard , my engineering college, the tutions , the colony, our rented house where we had stayed for 12 long years , its sun bathed courtyard, not to forget our best landowner Aunty Uncle, the annual Trade Fair which happens every Winters, the Gwalior fort where we had picniced hundred times,the market which is at the heart of Gwalior all beckon me. At first I never liked Gwalior, on the contrary I quite hated the city. I used to tell every other person that I would never miss it. But Gwalior summons me like no other place now.
While my parents moved to Delhi, I had to join my job at Mysore, so I never literally stayed at Delhi. Apart from the weekend trips to Delhi when I was located at Chandigarh, I never lived a Delhi life. And the weekends were just cloud nine with Ma's delectable recipes and drives to CP or sarojini nagar.
My rendezvous with Mysore just lasted for 3 months but it was the most beautiful. When Baba and I reached mysore, I can vividly remember how the gulmohar trees blooming with flowers and an overcasted sky welcomed us. Mysore is famous for it palace, the palace of Woyedars. This palace lits up with some 1000s of lights every Sunday at 7pm amidst the music of band , the scene is simply spectacular. The Infosys campus, its beautiful hostels, buildings, the adept housecleaning staff(who pampered us the fullest by doing literally everything.. from making our beds to cleaning the trash to sweeping the rooms spotlessly), the rains ravishing on our room's window , the midnight studies with the steaming cream roll and coffee from the pantry, the cycling after dinner, the weekend runaways to the mysore city and ofcourse some of my best friends I made there are all part of a fantabulous time spent there. I wish to take hubby atleast for once to this beautiful small sleepy city.
From mysore my job took me to Bangalore.The city of Gardens was my dream city once. Bangalore with its Malls and showrooms, its culture , traditions and modernizations is a true cosmopolitan. You will find sabji walas speaking in English and saree donned ladies working in top MNCs. MG road, Lalbagh, Infant Jesus church , ISKON temple and not to forget the Kormangala PG where I stayed for 1 and half years and where I had got some superb roomates  bring back to my mind the splendid bygone days.
Last but never the least comes is the city of Pune. This the city where I would love to settle down. This is the city where I had lived my life the fullest, did the craziest of things with my friends and roomates, wandered on the streets of Lakshmi Road and FC road to buy nothing and everything, watched movies back to back on weekends, got my first passion for cooking, spent invaluable time with kids of Aakansha(an NGO), got down from the bus in the middle just to grab the taste of a particular infamous roadside chicken biryani, or listened to FM on  the rain smeared Mumbai Pune Highway enroute to office, spent hours playing cards, scrabble , scotland yard and "Raja mantri chor sipahi", danced to the beats without knowing how to, the tea time snacks at Infosys foodcourt.. Pune I miss you so much. I thank all my friends for making my stay at Pune the most memorable.
Unlike many I wont be able to call a particular city my own but I tried to carve a niche in all the cities I stayed
The memories identified with all these cities are the sweetest and I dream of their revival time and again. As its said: “The axis of the earth sticks out visibly through the centre of each and every town or city.” 

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Chicken Biryani

There is this show on Times Now called Foodie which is simply fantastic. The host Kunal Vijaykar takes you through a tour to some place , shows you some local recipes and then hogs and hogs and hogs. Every time we watch this show, we have a strong craving for these delicacies and thus one fine day we were tempted to try the Chicken Biryani.
This was our first take on the recipe and we were quite skeptical about the end result. But to our surprise, it turned out to be exceptionally well with just one drawback- the saffron we used was not very good and it didnt color the rice as orange as we had excepted. Apart this all was perfect and we completely relished the biryani.
So here goes the recipe for the Chicken Biryani
For the Chicken:
Marinate the chicken(we used around 1 and 1/2 lb) with a cup of thick yogurt, salt, turmeric, ginger and chili paste. Keep the marinated chicken for an hour. In a kadai, temper oil with whole spices (little jeera, a few pods of cardomom, Bay leaves, a few cloves). Add a cup of chopped onions. When onion turns brown, add coriander powder, turmeric, and ginger garlic paste ,saute for a minute or two. Now add chopped or pureed tomatoes. Season with salt and keep frying till oil separates. Now add the marinated chicken and cook stirring occasionally. Add a little garam masala I cooked the chicken till it was completely done. Do not add any water as the chicken would release its own juices while getting cooked.
Meanwhile for the rice:
Soak rice (1 and 1/2 cup) for half an hour, drain the excess water. Boil 5-6 cups of water in a pot. Add whole spices : javitri(mace), badi ilaichi, a stick of cinnamon , bay leaves to the boiling water. Smear a spoon of ghee on the rice and add the rice to the the boiling water. Let it cook till it is 3/4 done. Drain the excess water and keep aside.
Now in a heavy bottom pan, arrange the chicken in a layer(I actually smeared the bottom of the pan with ghee to avoid the chicken from sticking ). Now arrange a layer of rice. Add few mint leaves. Sprinkle saffron water and a little ghee or butter. Top with fried onions. You can repeat the layers of chicken and rice again if you are left with them. Now seal the pan with aluminium foil. Cook it on very low flame for 20 mins. Serve with raita.

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