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.