Egg rolls

With my exams over and few days left before flying to India, I decided to try out something different from the usual sabzi roti for dinner. Since my hubby loves eggs I decided to make every bong's favorite snack egg roll. Oh we bongs love to devour egg roll. Every lane of every colony in Kolkata has a stall of these mouthwatering egg rolls. And they are too easy to make at home. 

So I started with 4 parts of maida , 2 parts aata, you can change the ratios as needed, more or all of maida will make it more tasty while more of atta would make the roll more healthy). Add a little of melted butter for moyan and a pinch of salt. Kneed the dough as you would for paratha. Adding a little of buttermilk or milk would make the roll crisper. Keep it aside for an hour or so covered with a muslin cloth. Make roti balls and roll the individual balls into round parathas. Beat eggs (I used 5 eggs for 7 parathas) in a bowl. Add green chilies, corinader , chopped onion. Now what I did was, I cooked the paratha a little without any oil. Then adding a few drops of oil in a non stick pan, poured 2-3 spoons of egg batter in the same shape as the parathas(actually my hubby did this part for me). Then I kept the half cooked paratha over the egg. Flipped it around when the egg side was done. You can directly put the paratha over the egg without cooking the paratha before. Or you can first put the paratha on the pan with a little oil, while the lower side is being done pour 2-3 spoons of egg batter on the upper side. Once done place roll on a flat surface with the egg side up. Add julians of cucumber,onion chilies in the center and pour some tomato sauce. Roll the paratha and cover half of it with kitchen paper. Your mouthwatering egg roll is ready to be served and hogged.

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Life is beautiful

There she sat in the park watching her daughter Ananya play with Deep. Suddenly her eyes were flooded with tears. Today Payal was the happiest woman in the world, a sweet daughter , a loving and caring husband and a respectable vocation what else can one need in life. But ten years back she would have never dream t of such a life.

Born to a very orthodox family, Payal was the fifth daughter in a row. Because all were expecting a boy atleast this time, she was welcomed only by her mother. Within a year of her birth, her mother was again rushed to the maternity ward , but this time it was boy. Being the youngest daughter didnt help her much. Her mother was always occupied by the tantrums of her baby brother. The elder sisters were responsible for cleaning and feeding her and yes they showered all their love on her. But somewhere something was missing. At the age of two she got her first polio attack, no one would have a guessed what a meager fever would turn into. Three months later she landed up with a crippled leg. Things changed much after that.Her name became the irony of her life. She was confined indoors , could not run and play with her friends. Her only friends were her books. Thanks to her mother who fought for her to get her admitted in the same school as her brother, she surpassed all in studies. At the tender age of ten she wrote her first poem and never looked back after that. Payal dedicated her first novel to her mother.

And then one fine day, she had gone to one of her colleague's birthday party. Shy and introvert Payal sat at one corner admiring people laughing chatting dancing. And there in another corner sat Deep sketching the shy girl. For a flick of a second their eyes met and Payal felt her heart leap. The next second he was gone. Two days later they again met, this time in a local train. Accidently or intentionally they took the same train to their office. Friendship bloomed between the two. But Payal started drifting apart when she felt they were getting emotionally bonded. No she did not want to blemish his life. He was the only son. How could she mar the dream of his parents' .. the dream of a perfectly fit daughter in law. Neither did she want any pathos from Deep. She was resolute to live life on her terms with her head held high. But it was agonizing to keep away from him, to decline his requests to meet, to not pick up his calls. Days passed and the affliction of separation bore a mark on her. She had deeply loved him. Then one day Deep stood at her door knocking. He looked lean and tired. She could not help but beckon him inside. Payal's heart skipped a beat. She felt like hugging him tight, crying her soul out with her head on his broad shoulders. But no she could not afford to be weak. She stood there tight lipped waiting for Deep to speak out. And Deep spoke with a voice as wet as his eyes , "Payal.. accept me as a part of your life. May be you can live without me but I can not.". Somehow she could no more restrain herself. She dropped her head on Deep's lap and started weeping like a baby. She could never believe someone so good and adept like Deep would want her as his wife. Really love knows no bounds. And to her surprise Deep's parents accepted her with all their hearts. Perhaps they knew more than anybody else what would give Deep true happiness.
Ten years had passed since then. Payal gave a deep sigh. "Life is really beautiful" she murmured to herself. "Ananya would rise to the peak. She would carve a niche for herself ".. as Payal's mother had always dreamt for her, she dreamt the same for her daughter.

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To her with love

Today is 3rd of June. Two years back , this day Aru was with Meenal. It was her birthday and just 2 days later was Aru's birthday. Since last few years they had been celebrating both of their birthdays together on the same day. They had outed the whole day, had a beautiful candlelit homemade dinner. But today Aru is all alone. He has just returned from the Village hospital. Tired and exhausted he lies on the cot of his small quarter. He tries to dose off, but thoughts keep propping up. They had loved each other so much , rather he still loves her. But he is not destined to be married. He has more important aspirations. and he never blamed Meenal for leaving him. On the contrary he is very happy for her. Ma told him two days back that Meenal is getting married by the end of the year. The boy is an architect by profession settled in Pune. Good for Meenal , she does not have to leave her job.
Meenal and Aru were neighbors. They had grown up together. Although Aru was 3 yrs elder to Meenal, they were friends. They had never proposed each other but they and their families knew about their unfathomable love. Nothing could have gone wrong between the two, and nothing actually did. Meenal just after completing her engineering got a job in IT at Pune. She was waiting for the day when Aru would finish up with his medical studies. Love although unspoken was dreaming big in her eyes. But for Aru, life was moulding a different shape. With the complete of internship in a rural area, the truth dawned on him , the truth of how badly he is needed in these rurals. The plight of villagers suffering and dying because no doctor would come to a village , brought tears into his eyes. He decided to give up all his riches and luxuries of urban life for these poor souls. He was sure his parents would understand, and yes they did. But to tell Meenal was an agonizing pain. And she cried and shouted and yelled, but nothing could make Aru stay back. He never wanted her to come with him. Why should she sacrifice all for him to get nothing? No , he was happy that she parted ways. Two years have passed since then. Remembering all the nostalgias , Aru doses off.

The next day he wakes up to rural fresh air and chirping of birds. Suddenly last nights' thoughts make him sad. But then he rememberes he is here for a cause, he loves this village, its people their innocence. He loves it when he heals and cures them.This is a transcendental happiness.
After getting ready he reaches the small 2 room hospital.There is a hue and cry. The only nurse of the hospital is carrying tiny bundle in her arm. As Aru approaches the nurse, he is taken aback. It is an infant hardly a week old. Someone had left her on the door of the hospital. The moment Aru takes the baby in his arm, she smiles.Oh the moment is so divine. Aru gives a peck on the forehead and whispers "You are my Meenal"..

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Pomfret in tomato gravy

My husband simply loves fish and thanks to him after marriage I have started devouring fish like never before. previously it was mostly him cooking fish, but recently I have started trying my hand in all possible fish recipes. We bengalies are fanatic about fish(except me.. I never liked fish atleast before marriage) and only fresh water fish is preferred.So we usually get Rohu and Hilsa (every bong's favourite.. we call it ilish), and have tried various concoctions with these. A day back we bought lovely looking pomfret. Now hubby and myself both have tasted pomfret but never have known how to make it. So the sunday was dedicated to the lovely pomfret and my cuisine unbelievably turned out very tasty. So heres the recipes for all those pisces lovers.
You need to have:
4-5 pieces of pomfret
2-3 gloves garlic and a little ginger, grate and pound them.
tomato puree
2 tablespoons curd,
chopped chillies , coriander.
Smear the fish with turmeric, salt a drop or two of oil and a drop or two of lemon jiuce. Keep it aside for half n hr or so(you can keep it for less time). Fry the marinated fish pieces till golden on both sides. Now for the gravy, heat oil in a kadhai. Add cumin seeds and small stick of cinnamon. Let it crackle , then add the pounded ginger garlic. Fry for 2 minutes now add chopped tomato or tomato puree, chillies, salt turmeric. Fry til oil separates add the curd. Fry for a few more minutes. Add jeera powder and if you want really hot then red chili powder, a pinch of sugar. Fry a few more minutes , making sure that the masala doesnt burn off. Now add a cup of water.Let it simmer for 5-8 minutes. Add the fish pieces after 8 minutes keep it on simmer for another 5 minutes and switch off the oven. You can restrict the water amount as per thickness of the gravy. garnish with chopped coriander and serve with steaming rice. Enjoy!!

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Caramel Pudding

What do you call a person who hates milk? Well whatever it is called , my dear hubby is one such person. I have to trick him constantly with milk recipes. Someday I prepare a shake the other day I end up making kheer (although I do not know how healthy it is). So now a days I very frequently make the dessert of Caramel Pudding which seems to be a healthy alternative.
All you need is:
2 eggs, 2 cups milk, a slice or two of white bread, 1-2 drops of Vanilla essence , 2 - 3 tablespoon sugar for pudding , 2 tablespoon sugar for caramel
For pudding:
Bring the milk to boil. Add sugar.Keep it on low flame for sometime stirring frequently so that the milk reduces in volume, the denser the milk the tastier is the pudding (but if are on diet just boil the milk , do not reduce). Allow the milk to cool. Once cool, beat the eggs , add the bread slices (diet freaks please use wheat bread) , a drop of vanilla essence and churn in the mixture twice. The bread gives a wonderful texture to the pudding.
For the caramel:
Melt sugar on low heat, I usually add some drops of water to make it manageable. Once the sugar turns deep brown remove from heat and pour in a mould or container (the one in which you will make the pudding)
Now pour the pudding mixture in this caramel coated container. Steam for 30-45 minutes on low flame. Insert a fork and check if pudding is set. Cool the pudding. Once cool place a plate on the mouth of the container and turn over and low you have the delicious pudding ready.

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Days of Udaans and Buniyaads

Today unknowingly (or maybe knowingly) I watched the silliest TV program. The program was all about mistrusting your spouse or girlfriend/boyfriend. Watching the program become unbearable for me only after few minutes, where hidden cameras and objectionable questions were peeking into the very personal life of a person. So this the state of shows and programs today. When at a single moment we have more than 200 channels to surf through at the click of a button , we hardly have any viewable programs.

Gone are those days, when we children waited for the Sunday to come. After all the homework and studies for the whole week, Sunday was a day of sheer TV watching and playing. The Sunday started with a steaming glass of milk and Rangoli. Then came the mom's sunday special breakfast with Ramayan/ Mahabharat followed by Junglebook or the likes. Afternoon were Regional Awarded Films with English subtitles, again in the evening a good sweet romantic movie or an art film. The dinner was definitely accompanied with the much awaited Surabhi. Who can forget the sweet Renuka Sahane and the debonair Siddharth Kak not to mention the Sawaal Jawab to top the pie. Weekday evenings were a fun too with family drama like Lifeline, Udaan , Buniyaad and many. All had a message to convey.I still remember the serial Udaan inspiring me so much that at a point I had decided to take IPS. There were educative programs like Turning point , Bharat ek Khoj , The world this week, etc and crime thrillers like Bomkesh Bakshi , Tehkikat , comedy like Ulta Pulta , Dekh Bhai Dekh,

children shows like Fairy Tales , Shaktimaan , duck tales and on and on and on ...... Who can forget the Swami of Malgudi Days, Pankaj Kapoor of Karamchand,Bhishma Pitamah, Krishna aka Nitish Bhardwaj of Mahabharata. They were the household names then. The cute ads of "Humara bajaj", the famous "Jalebi" ad of Dhara , "Kuch khas hai zindagi" cadbury ad till date bring a smile on our face. And how can we forget the small films of "Mile sur mera tumhara " , "Ek enek aur ekta"... Oh the days were so packed up with all these. Even the 15 min news was so much welcomed with newsreader like Sunil Tandon, Rinni Khanna.

Today we have loads and loads of Saas Bahu soaps where it takes no time to fall in love and no time to fall apart,where a single person gets married uncountable times, where the ladies don designer sarees and designer sindoors and cook, and where every third day the cast changes. The soaps never end and the 100 yrs old dadi never dies. We have reality shows bombing our drawing rooms and real life. People get married in shows and get divorced the next day. News is 24 hours and full of सनसनी news with no news. I sometimes wonder what will be the state of TV programs another 10 years or so. I wish (and I know all of us wish) that we could get the golden days of Doordarshan back, when there was just one channel and and just few hours of programs.

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Bhapa doi.. (Yogurt pudding)

This recipe is again from my Ma's kitchen. She says she had read it on the can of a condensed milk. A very quick and simple recipe for people like me who have a sweet tooth.

You need to have:

A can of condensed milk, A container (around 500 gms) of plain yogurt. 1-2 cardamom pods

Desired:

pistachios (pista) , almonds , raisins

To do:

Hung the curd in muslin cloth for 10-15 mins. Now add condensed milk , a pinch of cardamom powder and whisk till completely blended. Add cut almonds pista. Ma adds a little of rose water and a drop of pink food coloring. This gives a beautiful look and fragrance. Steam it in a steamer or cooker for 15-20 mins( like we steam dhoklas). This can be baked in an oven as well at 350 degree F for 30 mins(but I have never tried it really). Check it by inserting a fork. Once done, cool it in fridge for 2-3 hrs. And your bhapa doi aka Yogurt pudding is ready.

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Chhanar Dalna (Paneer kofta )

The other day I was left with a litre or more of milk in the fridge. Since hubby was leaving for an official tour , I was in no mood of making a dessert of the milk. So i decided to make Chhanar dalna . Chhana in bengali means paneer, and dalna is a curry. These are small paneer balls in a thick gravy. My Ma makes it amazing.Now I thought of trying my hand at it.

So here goes my recipe:

Ingredients:

For Chhana:

Milk a litre or more

lemons/ lime juice

For the paneer balls :

Green chilies,salt, little of aata,a boiled potato, coriander, ginger

For the gravy:

Tomatoes, ginger, jeera powder or paste

Put the milk to boil in a sauce pan. Once the milk has boiled put the gas in simmer. Now start adding lime juice slowly and keep stirring. The paneer will seperate and float on top. Strain the water in a muslin cloth. You may hang the muslin cloth for an hour for the excess water to drain. Once the water has drained , take the paneer in a bowl. Add the boiled, peeled and mashed potato, salt to taste, finely chopped coriander, ginger and green chilies. Now add a little ( a teaspoon or so) aata, the aata is for the binding. I sprinkle a little water to make it softer. Heat oil for frying. Make small balls of the mixture. You can put a raisin inside the paneer balls if you like. Fry the balls (kofta) till golden brown. Drain the excess oil in a kitchen towel. Now for the gravy. I usually prefer gravy without onion and garlic. One can make a onion gravy as well. My version is: Heat 3 teaspoon oil in a kadhai. Add cumin seed and bay leaf. Now add chopped tomatoes, salt and little turmeric. Slit some green chilies and add. Lower the flame and let it simmer for 3-4 minutes with the lid closed. After 4 minutes open the lid and increase the flame, keep stirring. Add ginger paste and jeera paste(do not put water), garam masala, red chili powder. Keep stirring till it leaves oil. I usually add a little curd to my gravy at this point and a pinch of sugar..just to add color and enhance the taste. Stir it again for 2 mins or so. Now add water a cup. Let it simmer for 5-7 mins. Now add the koftas and turn off the flame. garnish with coriander. Believe me the paneer koftas will be so soft and delicious.

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Season of colors and festives

After a long time Iam writing, just finished off my mid-sem so felt like scribbling something.

This time of the year makes me very nostalgic: days of school, days of my childhood. After a year long wait for Durga Puja , the 4 day festival of a Bengali is back. Fragrance of shiuli phool (parijaat) in the air, cool morning breeze , cotton puff clouds in the sky,cool and pleasant evenings, lots of shopping for the 3-4 days outings ... all speak out loud and clear that Ma Durga is coming to her parental home. Yes thats what we bengalies believe: during Durga Puja Ma comes with her 4 children to visit her father's abode. She is welcomed with all grace ,warmth and extravaganza. From shashti through saptami,ashatami,navami starts the pooja rituals , pandal excursions, outings, donning the best of dresses and of course devouring the tastiests. Vijaya Dashami marks the departure of the deity back to her husband's home to come again the next year. With Vijaya Dashami starts the episodes of family get-togethers and trips to elders (if they are near) to offer our regards(pronaam).Its complete fiesta time. Wait for a fortnight and then we have Diwali the festival of lights. Houses adorned with Rangolis and lights and decorations invite goddess Lakshmi to bestow happiness and wealth on all households.

One of my friend used to say "Come monsoon and the 6 month long season of festival starts in India.. " and thats so true. Starting from rakhi , janmashtami , ganesh chaturthi to Durga pooja, diwali and finally Christmas and New Year, not to mention the Id and gurunanak jayanti which fall between. Ours is truly a land of festivals, fiestas and diversity.

Back in US , I was busy reading my text books during the Pooja but missing my home badly. I dont smell the sweet aroma of Shiuli but yes definitely the air has little festive spirit.. halo ween, Thanksgiving Christmas and New Year are all lined up. The trees are changing colors everyday and thats one beauty no artist can overlook, from green to pale green to red , then to orange . and then one fine day when you wake up you find a single leaf on the bare branches ready to fall off any time. Fall is really beautiful in US, but nothing can match the festivals of my country. Waiting to go back and celebrate all the festivals with all the grandeur....

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Uma ... Shakti

Recently I have been watching quite a many women oriented films...films depicting the fight of women for individuality. And time and again these thoughts keep popping in my mind........After so much of development and education, "WOMAN" still remains the acronym for "Sacrifice" in our society. One thing I really appreciate about the western society is its equality for the fairer sex. Here She drives buses, runs companies, is a homemaker, dons the Miss Universe crown, is the CEO, visits the unknown space , in a nutshell does everything which a man can do.

We hail from a country and culture where in ancient days woman was at a more higher status. She was the source of Power : "Shakti". Only in Hinduism do we have a female aspect of GOD. In our vedas and scriptures women are worshiped. Ancient India saw a woman no different from a man. She was well versed and educated, she had property rights,she could choose her husband . Our Upanishads tell us that women once had the right to perform rituals, wear the scared thread , they were gurus in gurukuls. In ancient India the woman was respected for her virtues , her education, her qualities, not just for her physical beauty, purity and chastity. Then why this discrimination today ?

I was brought up in a family where a woman is respected and honored .My parents always wanted me to be independent with a strong ground under my feet. And even after my marriage , I am lucky enough to pursue all my dreams , aspirations and stargazes, thanks to the tremendous unconditional support of my husband. But how many women are half as lucky as me and likes?

I have seen daughters being brought up with the notion that they are "Paraya dhan", bound to get married and leave their maiden family for good(?? who knows for good or bad ?? ) . In some educated and so called modern families she is given the best of education with the purpose of fetching a good husband. And there are intellectuals who despite of competing with women in academics and profession want a beautiful ("convent educated" at times) wife, who will be waiting for him back home in a pretty saare with the steaming dinner on the table when he is back from a hectic day at office. Even if she is working , she should be back before him , all geared up for the second phase of work. And sometimes she has to sacrifice her booming carrier for her family...... no dont think I am against this. On the contrary I somehow feel (despite of being a hardcore feminist) that for a woman Family comes first because if she neglects the family, no one can revert the loss done. But then choosing between carrier and family is entirely her own decision. She should not be forced to do so nor should she is the only one responsible for her family.

Why again chastity is one virtue which every woman should have , while a man can go about having any number and any type of relationships? Even in today's educated society a single mother is ridiculed and humiliated. Why is an unmarried mother out-casted from the society.. why is only she blamed ... is not the other person equally if not more responsible? Rather should she not get all the support,care and applaud for bringing into this world a baby on her own?

I dont think any of us (women) want any reservation of any kind at any place at any time. What today's woman really wants is an equal status , she is capable of doing everything , from fathoming the deepest to conquering the highest..from raising a child to managing a company.. to leading a nation. Let her take the world in her stride and wonders she can do..

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Chicken fingers do pyaza

This one is from my hubby. When it comes to cooking non-veg(primarily poultry: egg or chicken ) he is the most creative person I have seen. He loves egg the most and has hundreds of ideas to cook it. With chicken he tries all unconventional styles. And his cooking is super duper fast, very tasty and with a bit of more oil.

So one fine evening (fine as I was little tired to cook), my hubby offered that he would try out something. We had some frozen chicken fingers(ready to eat with 15 mins of oven heating). The other necessities were: onion, garlic , chillies, tomato and chicken masala (salt ofcourse). He first suated the chicken fingers(since they were frozen), then added the onions , chillies and garlic. Once the onion was translucent, tomato, salt(very little as the chicken strips already has) and chicken masala was added and kept on flame for 5 more minutes. And wow we had a wonderful dish ready in no time. It was too tasty and when I ate it I got the notion that instant chicken manchurian can be made of this with some slight variations(you will need cornflour and soya sauce though). So next time when I try the Instant Chicken Manchurian I will let you know of how it tastes..

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Rice cutlets!!

For those who know me from near, I am a big foody.... (oh! please dont laugh, I know my physique doesnt say so). I love to devour on anything thats tasty and I love to try out anything and everything. Ironically my first tryst with cooking came very late in my life, after 2 decades on the planet. When almost all my college friends knew how to cook, I only knew how to boil egg. My baba's strict instruction "No cooking while you are into studies". Since Ma was a school teacher Baba helped her with cooking. But I was never allowed to do so. Once in high school, I was having a holiday. That day before leaving for school Ma had taught me orally(no practical class) how I can prepare rice in cooker. I was asked to keep the rice ready before Baba came for lunch. She (Ma ) had measured the water and rice and kept aside for me in a seperater utensil(of the cooker). Due time came and I kept the cooker with the rice utensil in it........but with no water inside the cooker...and the cooker lid on......... and I waited and waited and waited for the whistle to blow. But poor me , I had no idea why the cooker was slowly turning black.. After half and hour with no desired outcome I switched off the gas oven and waited for Ma. Ma came.. asked me if the rice was done.. I had no clue of it.. She was aghast to see my deed.. So I was kept away from the kitchen for many yrs to come.. Finally when I got my appointment letter from Infosys, I started trying some recipes under Ma's supervision. When at Blore and Pune, I used to call her and ask the details of some recipe. Even today sometimes when I try my hand at some authentic bengali dish, I give her a call for the details.

Enough of boring with old stories.. Now coming to the recipe. It was first tried at Pune with leftover rice (courtesy my roommates). Everyone liked it, and even at Arlington.. Indians and Americans..

All you need is :

Left over rice ,

2-3 bread slices,

Chopped onion, green chillies , coriander

Salt to taste

little chaat masala

Mash the rice well. Cut off the edges of the bread. Soak them in water, take out and squeeze. Add to the mashed rice. Now add the chopped onion, green chillies , coriander. Shape the mix into cutlets. Shallow fry the cutlets.

The rice gives a wonderful crispiness. We can add grated carrots and little of nutrila(soyabean) granules to make it a healthier snack. If you are adding nutrila granules, soak the granules in boiling water for 2 mins and then squeeze out the water.

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My India

After a long time I am back..meantime I had started writing a few blogs but never came to the ending.. Hopefully this blog of mine sees its ending..

Staying abroad for a year, I miss my country very much. I miss everything of India, the hot summers, the monsoon, the festivals, the food, the people, the roads, the traffic .. oh this is an infinite list.. above all I miss the Indian soil..(is it just a figure of speech.. nah.. I really cant smell the aroma of soil after the first rains here..). And when ever someone asks about my country, I proudly say that I am an Indian, and with that I start boasting about my country, all her virtues, her culture, her people , everything. But then when I read of accidents, any terrorist or naxal attack , any scams, or simply the everyday tales of red-tap ism and bureaucracy happening all over India , I feel sad for my country.

This 15 Aug, India celebrates its 62nd Independence Day. But are we independent in true sense? Where are we on the world map after 62 years of independence? Here I am citing some facts and figures.

The Human developing Index prepared by our very own economists Amartya Sen says India stands 134 in the list of Medium Developing countries beaten by all the Latin American countries, some of the African Countries, and of course our neighbors China , Srilanka(here I am not considering the continents of Europe, North America and Australia ) . And despite being the fourth largest economy of the world, India stands 57th in the race for countries below poverty line,with 42% of our population below the poverty line. In US, the farmers are equipped with the latest technology for agriculture, the are educated and very well-off. Our farmers either die or suicide because of debts, natural calamities.

We stand at 149 position with just 66% literacy rate, being the 2nd highest populated country of the world. Congratulations to us we will be surpassing China by 2025.

India's bureaucracy is the worst in Asia and we have a fourth of our parliament members who have criminal charges. One can find corruption every where from commonwealth games to every walks of day to day life.

Its not safe for a girl to walk on the roads of the Capital of the country at night. Neither is it safe to travel on rails for fear of a sabotage or merely a wrong signal. There's adulteration in grains , cereals, oil, medicines and everything. There's politics on nothing and everything. We are represented by mostly octogenarians and nonagenarians in the parliament. The judiciary takes decades to execute a criminal in-spite of all the evidences. The rapists and murders remain at large and finally join politics.

So here we are ..many feathers to our cap. But who is to be blamed, politicians, bureaucrats, civil servants or is it just us. Yes, its our country and we are responsible for it. But what do we do? I really don't know. Change the government, bring a reform .. but how? Whom should I elect.. they are all the same... and I keep pondering on this..I do not dream for a Utopian society but I do dream for a better India, greener safer beautiful India. The India of my Dreams......

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Heavenly abode

Here goes my travel account... our trip to the San Juan(its pronounced "San Huan" because of Spanish explorer ) National Forest.

After lots of planning, net surfing n little packing we set off on a sunny Friday. We had taken an SUV on rent. The journey would take around 16 hrs. We would be crossing Texas, New Mexico and finally reaching Durango Colorado.

We started of around 11, driving through the green pastures and farmhouses of Texas. This part of Texas is beautiful. There are cultivated farms,beautiful farmhouses, cattle and horses grazing, ranches. We pass through the city of Amarillo. Soon we enter the state of New Mexico and the landscape changes dramatically.. from farms and ranches to barren lands and then to deserts. we pass Albuquerque city by 9 and head towards our destination. By 2 in the night(rather morning) we finally reach Durango. Nestled in the Animas river valley,Durango is at the foothills of San Juan. The city has a victorian charm. Tired and exhausted we retire for a exciting day ahead.

Next day we start for Ouray. Our travel would take us through the San Juan scenic skyway. We would be passing through the mining city of silverton. We start ascending the winding roads of the mountains. The victorian steam engine pulled train running from durango to silverton accompanies us for sometime. The landscape is strewed wild flowers, alpine and aspen trees, gushing creeks and gorges. Soon we arrive at our first stop: Molas pass. We are captivated with the panoramic beauty. There in the center is the half frozen Molas lake surrounded by Alpine woods and the snow capped mountains. We go down to the Molas lake. Never have I seen such a beauty. A poet's imagination is just before my eyes. We move on further in the mountains. We reach silverton, a small sleepy town with mountains rising in all directions. Now we head north along the "Million dollar highway" (named for the amount of gold and silver mined).It takes us through ghost towns of Eureka and then the "Red Mountain Pass" called so because they are actually red in color because of rich deposits of ironore. The Red Mountain Pass is the highest point(aprox 11000 ft) . Another photographer's paradise,the place is completely covered in snow in this month of May. We finally reach Ouray "the Switzerland of america". The high snowcapped mountains cradle this beautiful valley. After devouring a tasty Mexican Lunch (at 3:30 pm) we hike the short n sweet trail to the cascade falls. A small but beautiful creek carries the snowmelt off the mountains.

Leaving Ouray we head towards Ridgway , a tiny town with beautiful lush green meadows. The skyway leaves the mountains takes a turn towards Telluride at Ridgway. But we head towards Montrose where we are staying for the night.

Next day we start towards Telluride taking the skyway from Ridgway. We pass through the Dallas divide , a picturesque valley with ranches , dotted with oak and aspen trees and overlooking the snow capped mountains. The Dallas divide veer us to Telluride, the Victorian city. Mountains rising from the valley, and tumbling crystal clear waterfalls gives a spectacular view. Soon we start off for the bridal veil falls(aptly named as it looks like the veil of a bride) trail. The hike is as scenic as everything else.. small streams gushing out of nowhere, slender waterfalls falling from the snow of the mountains. At some places the trail was covered with slippery snow. Finally we made it to the falls.. "heavenly" that is the only word I could say. Icy water sprayed on our faces, our clothes getting drenched with the mist.. oh it was so beautifully romantic. Holding hands Arnab n myself sat on a rock for sometime....finally we hiked back. After having lunch we start for Mountain Village. The twisting and turning roads take us through green grasslands and aspen groves we make it to the ghost town of Ophir. Ophir is another beautiful tiny valley surrounded by mountains .Time to headback to Montrose as we suddenly see clouds hovering on the mountains..

As were retired to sleep that night, we decided to come back to explore the beauty and wilderness of San Juan.

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My First blog

So here goes my first blog.. this just the penning down of my thoughts..

Today it rained the whole day.. although the mercury has not yet scored high.. still it was a wonderful relief..

and with rains came running into my thoughts sweet memories of the rainy days of India..

During my school days.. I prayed earnestly for a rainy day.. and in those rainy days I still remember making paper boats and floating them in running streams of water.. My paper boat never made the journey as it got wet.. i had once even tried to make a boat from stiff plastic sheet(to prevent my boat from wetting n sinking), but the plastic boat never took the desired shape..

With rains came the season of hot pakodas.. Ma used to fry them in the rainy evenings n we three(Ma Baba n myself) huddled near the window.. devouring pakodas n Ma n Baba sipping steaming tea(tea was a total NO No for me during my school days).

We(Ma Baba n me ) had once made a trip to Amarkantak(Chattisgarh) during a rainy season.. The beauty of the rains of Satpura is still vivid. It had rained the whole day Cats n dogs.. and by evening there was complete power failure.. We in our hotel room's balcony were drenched in pitch darkness. The quietness of the dark night was broken only by the sound of the cricket(jhingur or jhijhi poka as we call it in bengali)from the nearby jungle. Oh it was such a beautiful night. We felt as if we were a part of some different world.. very far away from civilization..

Today as we(Arnab n myself now) were walking in the soft drizzle, we admired the blooms of spring..There are lovely beautiful flowers every where. But despite all its beauty something was missing .. the sweet smell of the earth.. the sweet fragrance which mother earth spreads when she gets drenched in the first rain of the season..

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