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Saree Saga

Saree Saga

(A Short Story)

The perfect opportunity presented itself, a few days later. Ria, Indrani’s new daughter-in-law sat with parcels and packages strewn all around after a marathon shopping expedition. Ria and Tana aka Tanaji had come down from UK for a few weeks intending to spend the Durga Puja with friends and families. They planned to spend a few days in Delhi with Indrani and Ena before leaving for Kolkata where Ria’s family was based. Ria had just returned home after a tiring but fulfilling day and was now showing her purchases to mom-in-law.

Buttery Baked Chicken

Buttery Baked Chicken

It is a non fussy, simple non-vegetarian recipe, requiring few ingredients and minimum preparation beforehand. Of course, since it is baked wrapped inside an aluminium foil, you require an oven for this dish. I like to prepare it not only because it is easy to cook but at the same time, it is healthy and full of subtle flavours as well.

Daughter of Darkness

Daughter of Darkness

She sat with her head bowed low on her knees, singing one of the devotional songs of Tagore in a low voice; Uncle sat beside them reading, occasionally lifting his face to look at his daughter with tenderness. At that moment, precisely I decided against revealing to them, my new found knowledge about the family dynamics.

Job Charnock and the Great Tree

Job Charnock and the Great Tree

Indeed, it is Job Charnock, the founder of the trading post of the East India Company at Chuttanutee or Sutanuti, which eventually grew into the second city of the British Empire. But it is not Job Charnock or his contribution which is our subject of interest but the “great tree”. It not only provided shade to Charnock and his companions, who resided in simple thatched huts in contrast to the large elegant structures that later came to dot the imperial city but was an important landmark for mariners.

Basanti Pulao

Basanti Pulao

Celebrations on Noboborsho’ – the Bengali New Year is considered incomplete without a spread of authentic Bengali dishes. ‘Basanti Pulao’ is one of the star dishes gracing the Noboborsho (the Bengali New Year Day) spread. ‘Basanti Polao’ is a form of ‘pulao’ prepared with a fragrant variety of rice, ‘Gobindo bhog’, typically grown in Bengal.

A Scandal In ‘Babu’ Calcutta

A Scandal In ‘Babu’ Calcutta

There are many anecdotes of one-upmanship that was common among Babus (neo rich Bengali under company’s rule) of Calcutta. The rivalry between Nabakrishna Deb and Churamoni Dutta knew no bounds. the rivalry between two groups culminated in an incident that rocked the Hindu society and left it divided and subsequently, came to be known as Kaliprasadi Hungama (ruckus over Kaliprasad). Calcutta witnessed a clash of titans who were equals in terms of wealth and influence in society.

The First Flush

The First Flush

Here in Goomtee Tea Resort the vintage bungalow is charming. Austere colonial grandeur of wood & whites through the long corridor of silence springs to life in its beautiful camellia plants, distant factory hour bells, wild flower blossoms on the hill slopes and the smiling faces of humble lives. Coming back to these mountains always feels like return to innocence.

The Origin of ‘Bharat Mata’

The Origin of ‘Bharat Mata’

Abanindranath conceived his Bharat Mata or Banga Mata – as he had originally named the painting – very differently from later visualisations of Mother India – as a Hindu goddess, in all her finery, perched on a lion with a banner and a weapon with a map of India as a backdrop. She seemed to be an Indian version of Britannia with the lion. In contrast Tagore’s Bharat Mata, painted in ‘delicate colours’ eschewed religious connotations. She is a picture of serenity and purity; dressed in a simple garb of saffron she is more of an average Bengali woman with conch shell bangles. Depicted as a yogini (woman ascetic) she stands for renunciation and transcendentalism, very Indian in ethos.

The Church That Was Auctioned

The Church That Was Auctioned

In 1778 Kiernander’s sight failed him and for three years he was totally blind from cataract and during this time his son, Robert was in charge of his affairs. In 1781 though Kiernander had regained his sight he faced fresh troubles since he had injudiciously signed some bonds for his son and though the liabilities could have been covered by his assets the creditors were alarmed and the church and adjoining properties were brought under the hammer.

Aglio e Olio

Aglio e Olio

‘Aglio e olio’ in Italian simply means ‘garlic and oil’ (pronunciation: ‘alio e olio’). It is a simple, traditional but delicious spaghetti dish with garlic and olive oil as the two primary ingredients. For me, it is very rare when a vegetarian dish upstages a non vegetarian one but, Spaghetti Aglio e Olio is definitely one of them.