Homecoming of Joy

Durga Pujo for me is the reminder that happiness and revelry find their way home. Every year. That there is nothing more peaceful to the ears than the mellifluous chants of Birendra Krishna Bhadra on “Mahalaya” morning. That there is nothing more delicious than the “Bhoger Khichuri and tomato r chutney”. That every young Bengali guy with an instinctive aptitude for the “dhaak” or “dhunuchi” is sexy(and needs to be checked up on facebook!!!). That there is nothing to complain about the ugly shoebite from “whole night” pandal hopping. That every woman looks ethereal on Dashami after “sindoor khela”. That when you touch your elders’ feet wishing them “Subho Bijoyaa” you are rewarded with a handful of blessings and a plateful of mishti. That when the Divine Mother makes her way back to her husband’s home…she leaves behind a promise…a promise of coming back again next year….that makes yet another year of routine worth enduring!

Durga pujo for me is bathing in the joy of my being!

 

Kaata Laga...!!!!

When the refugee ‘spirit’ of Bhootnath Bhaduri(of Bhooter Bhabishyat fame)goes Iilish shopping ….the Bengalis understand..Only the sublime taste of this delectable fish could tempt the departed.

My earliest memories of  Iilish are those of accompanying my father as a little girl to the local fish market on a “Robbar Shokaal”.  I would wondrously observe the many people hovering around for the prized Hilsa.

I later understood their reasons when I lost myself in the heavenly taste of the homemade Shorshe Iilish, (redolent of mustard oil and green chillies aplenty) or helped myself with a double serving of  Iilish paturi at a “biebari”. The unmatched flavor of this delicacy made me forgive  its infuriatingly bony nature.

 

Well lets say the annual monsoon is another time of the year when the average Bengali would not mind spending the extra penny. …and it has nothing to do with  Durga pujo or Poila Boishakh. It is all about savouring the sinfully fulsome taste of the Bengalis’ favourite fish.

The Hilsa has forever been a bone(cough!) of contention between the “e paar” and “o paar” bongs with each claiming their side of Hilsa as the best. Whether this judgement is inspired by palate or patriotism is yet to be known.

However, this superiorly revered fish has been facing the threat of extinction lately. Long story short, we Bengali’s could be denied our Iilish very soon (that’s barbaric!!!!). So certain international organizations entrusted with the job of protection of Shad (various species of Hilsa) around the world are requesting the people(read Bengalis) to reduce consumption.

The truth is IIlish has ruined us for other fishes. If IIlish does become extinct, Bengalis will never be the same, ‘e paar’ or ‘o paar’ notwithstanding. Could we really be “sensible(?!)” Iilish eaters? …Only time will tell.

Recent reports are of  dwindling stocks in the Ganga delta, thus making the situation pretty delicate. If we Bengalis are not careful… this delicious fish, bhapa, bhaaja, paturi or otherwise would only be food for our memories in the near future.

September 26th, 2013 3:38pm

As I am racking my stubbornly unresponsive brain for a "hebby" thing to write on.....my mother is still enjoying her siesta. I wont  go to the gym today. Lets say I am a bit preoccupied. There has been a lot of things on my mind lately....ok...that was a lie....I am just being lazy. The only thing that has been on my mind lately are weird ways to kill time. I even considered trying to hide myself in the wardrobe and give my mother a scare. Well, then the logical part of me (however small that might be) kicked in and I had to consider the 5 feet 6 inches, 68kgs of my frame. I'd probably bring the whole thing down. 

      It has been almost 4 months since my Btech finals. Although I am lucky I have a brilliant job offer at hand, it is going to be an annoyingly long time before I actually join the workforce. This has to be, by far the most frustrating few months of my life. I have read ebooks that amount to a total disk space of 150 Mb( that's an awful lot of books...trust me!!!). I have drooled over Tom Welling's Clark Kent while he sashayed through Smallville. I have "facebook"ed like a maniac. I had been very serious when I told my mother that I was interested in learning how to cook..however she muttered something like "okaaj" and sent me on my way. Clearly, she remembered my previous failed "ranna" attempts and the corresponding monstrosity of the kitchen I had left behind. When everything else failed, I even Googled "how to kill time". The results were very inspiring....something about an effort to remind ourselves that we are "pinpricks on a great spinning orb lost in infinite space"....I had started laughing halfway through the article...
And to top it all, stepping out of my apartment has begun to resemble a nightmare. My ever vigilant neighbor just "happens"  to step outside at the very same time...and asks me the same question almost regularly..."joining dilo???" and although I give him the same answer everyday, it only takes my level of frustration a notch higher......

        I might take up stand up comedy...they say it came out of three things....Frustration, frustration and more Frustration.....well...looks like I am in luck!!!!