OCD on FB

I don’t understand the obsessive compulsive need of some people to constantly let the whole world know through social media, where they are checking-in every single minute of their lives. Be it the nearest cinema hall or the airport while taking the flight to some god forsaken place, they would rather click pics of themselves and post it on FB, than enjoy the precious moment itself. Just yesterday, me and my friends were discussing the crazy antics of these folks, who while running a marathon for some noble cause, were busy taking selfies! (During the running act).

In fact the day is not far, when they are going to check-in to washroom and inform the whole world on FB! J

Calcutta Diary

Every time I visit Kolkata, end up getting overwhelmed with the city’s rich heritage. Majestic old buildings with shuttered windows, can visualize the spirits of Thakurs and thakurayans floating around in their beautiful robes. Some buildings have been renovated keeping in mind the basic essence of the era, others are still dilapidated, creepers arising out of every nook and crevice of the façade, giving a haunted impression. Warmth of the people is instantly felt in every minor interaction. Be it asking for directions for a famous sweet shop or biryani joint, people are pleased to give detailed information and would not really mind walking with you to show you the place if it is nearby. Puja is weeks away, but still the festival fervor is roaring in the air. People jostling with each other in market places to bargain for the best purchase. Each roll/momo/chaat counter is bustling with activity, with the owner minting money as the bongs love to eat out. They love trying out new dishes and are very brave and adventurous. You go to any tourist destination, you will find the majority is bong. They are not shy of talking to strangers and will strike up a conversation with anyone and everyone. You cannot experience a dull moment when you are in their midst. I have been very lucky on that front, as some of my very close friends are bongs and I have had the best of times with them.

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How to prepare "Sheer Khorma"? (Nazia's recipe)

When one thinks of Eid, two things come to mind. Biryani and Sheer Khorma. Without these, celebrations are incomplete. In Eastern part of Odisha, we usually, prepare the dry variety of semai, which is cooked without milk. And is garnished with coconut and banana slivers. But down south, the milky semai also known as Sheer Khorma is more popular. This variety is very easy to prepare and is more rich. So here goes the recipe... Get different kinds of dry fruits like almond, pistachios and cashew nuts. Slow roast these with some ghee. (Dont ask me the exact quantities. Use your intuition/andaaz.) And then keep it separate. In the same pan, roast some baarikh/fine semai with ghee again. (Yes, you need to run on the treadmill for an hour, after eating this :P ). In another pot, take some milk (Amul gold milk only, as this is more viscous) and stir it for half an hour...till the quantity is reduced to half, keep on adding sugar with constant stirring. Finally add the semai and nuts. Dont forget to add some khoa for more taste. Now eat it with your loved ones :) Eid Mubarak to all!!!

Traditional Odia Food Item : Aloo Dum Dahi Bara!

Cuttack, the silver city is famous for various things. One of them is the delectable “Aloo dum Dahi bara”, said to be the staple food of Cutkis. People love to have it for breakfast, lunch and it is considered an all- day snacks item. It provides timely carb in the form of potatoes, which replenish energy and the butter-milk given at the end of the snacks is a relishing drink to beat the scorching summer. While the tangy flavor of the dahi bara revives the taste buds! Typically, it is served with ghoogni (A spicey Curry made of chick peas) and garnished with sev, onion and coriander and pudina chutney. A wholesome meal in itself. You will see vendors selling the snacks in cycle, carrying the huge aluminum pots. The other kind of vendors (A bit more prosperous) have fixed stalls for selling the same. At Cuttack, I have tried it at almost all the places, and as per me, the ranking would be as follows… 1. Barabati field 2. Satichaura 3. Near Reliance Fresh (CDA) 4. Gauri Shankar Park 5. All the rest… Is it possible to prepare this dish at home? The answer to this question is, of course Yes! While the taste may not be exactly the same, because, sometimes the road dust and unhygienic conditions render their own flavor! (Which though tasty, is difficult to replicate :P) So here goes the dummy’s guide to prepare Cuttack’s Famous Aloo dum dahi bara. Prepare the mixture for Dahibara. (Rice paste + Black Gram paste in the ratio of 1:3). Add a pinch of Soda and salt to taste. Make small balls of the mixture in the palm of your hand and drop it in hot oil. Fry it till its golden brown, and remove and put it in a bowl of water for 5 seconds, and then into curd which has been lightly tempered earlier with curry leaves, chillies and mustard. Garnish with Jeera powder and Chilly powder. Add a big teaspoon of Ghoogni and aloo dum to about 4 dahi baras! And here you have half plate of Dahibara ready! Worth 20 bucks! 

Happy Women's Day!

First of all, Wishing all of you a very happy Women’s Day! On this special day, I would like to express some of my thoughts on Empowering women at Workplace. Why do women fail to express themselves, in forums where it actually matters? Why do women opt out of their careers, for the sake of spouse relocation/kids/marriage? Why do we have so few women leaders at the top? These were just a few questions, brewing in my mind. Recently, I happened to read a very good book by FB COO, Sheryl Sandberg. And this awesome book acted like my talisman, an answer to all my queries. In this book, she has mentioned that a mentor/sponsor is what every woman needs today at workplace, to guide her through all the turmoil associated with juggling work with home. And a supporting eco-system at home, be it a spouse who is open minded enough, to share the home work load with a smiling face and proactively or parents who encourage their daughter to fly high and move out from the comfort zone and give wings to her dreams. Without these two essential ingredients, it would be a difficult task for women to succeed at workplace. Another important point that Sheryl stressed upon is “The need to please people”. Women often, find themselves at the backseat of important meetings or programs because they have this inherent desire to please people, and hence refrain from making difficult decisions, that is crucial for the well being of the organization but might end up annoying some segment of folks. So women choose to “please” people at the cost of having a successful career. This constant war in her head, between popularity versus success, makes her hesitent and retrogressive. They would rather be popular and liked by everyone, than make tough decisions. We as women, should come out of this mental block and be fearless and assertive enough to make our presence felt and never be afraid to make our voices heard. Those were some of my thoughts, on Women’s day! Have a superb weekend!

Gangtok : Final chapter

The city of Gangtok is built on a sloping valley. So the roads, houses, etc are at different levels, and walking about even for half a kilometer is quite a herculean task, especially for those who have not exercised in years. (I don’t come in that category :P ). Its said, that if truly want to experience the magic and charm of a place, go on walking tours. And Gangtok perhaps is one of the best places for that. The lush greenery around, billowing clouds, picturesque little houses with tiled roofs and porcelain doll like skin of girls there….the entire scene reminds oneself of those exotic picture post cards of Switzerland. We got the opportunity to visit a monastery for Lamas. It’s a residential school for kids, who take up the life a monk/lama. We saw cute little kids in maroon gowns prancing about happily, expressing their eagerness and curiosity to mingle with the tourists. One of the kids came up to us, with a bag of chocolates and said is a sing-song voice, “Happy birthday!” We were pleasantly surprised, not knowing why is he wishing us!? To our puzzled looks, he responded again, “Me happy birthday!” Then we realized, it was HIS birthday, and he was offering chocolates to us! Such a little boy, with such a big heart! Gangtok is perhaps one of the cleanest cities around. With hardly a scrap of garbage to be seen around, it’s a pleasure to go on hiking trips on hills. Waterfalls are in abundance and the water is sparkling clean, you can drink straight out of it. We also got the chance to visit the Indo-Chinese border and shook hands with a Chinese soldier too! It was nice to see the Indian and Chinese soldiers talking animatedly with each other, cracking jokes and readily agreeing for photos. They were not in any kind of hurry and engaged the motley group of tourists in long winding conversations, narrating about their family back home, next vacation there and in general their lifestyle out there at 10,000 ft from sea level. It gave us a fresh new perspective about life and made us ponder over our own life and its meaning. And how insignificant is the daily humdrum of our existence. Office-home-office-mall-home-office again. What is the value-add that we as individuals are bringing in to the nation? Other than voting, ofcourse. (Which I don’t think, anybody from my generation, does!) Ok, enough of these Sunday afternoon musings.. Take care.