Mix n match

Sophistication is generally the last thing on my mind when I am indulging in good food especially when I am at home.I have no qualms about mixing yellow dal with hot garlic chicken when the gravy becomes too hot or having chappatis with a chinese dish.
Now you must be wondering whether I possess the taste buds of an alien- but being a Bengali I am habituated to all kinds of tastes-sweet,sour,bitter,hot.So what's appalling to you is routine to me.

However you normally do not get dosas and Chinese dishes at the same restaurant.Hence my experiments with food had to be stopped once outside home.

Not Any More.

The name "mix n match" which was earlier associated only with clothes has now penetrated the realm of food as well.
You can forget all about culinary etiquette and mix South Indian dishes with Chinese cuisine-don't worry nobody's going to raise their eyebrows at you.Mix n match is the new mantra today,thanks to the food marts in the malls-where you get all kinds of cuisines.Now I can have a bland sandwich dipped in sambhar to get over its blandness.Almost any kind of permutation-combination is possible owing to this concept of getting everything under one roof.

I can therefore blissfully encourage my "barbaric" eating habits and summon the gastronomic juices to help me gulp down.

Happy eating!

Web of illusions

It was a hot and sultry afternoon-one of those days when you feel like just lazing around.Samantha's books lay scattered all over her bed.She was in no mood to read.Instead her lovelorn mind was filled with reminisces of the online conversations she had with her boyfriend Robbie a month back....

Samantha was a lonely girl.She did not have too many friends and so far never had amorous feelings about anyone,that is anyone who actually exists.But she harboured fantasies about those perfect but unreal lovers whom she found in fictional love stories.She read a lot of books and submerged herself totally into the story as if it were her own life.All her emotional yearnings were vicariously fulfilled through these novels.
But Robbie gave her a chance to live her own real lovelife.

Robbie was a charmer and could sway people with his words.Samantha had never met him,but she felt she could trust him.Eventually she fell head over heels in love with his witty jokes,his philosophical musings and his romantic odes dedicated to her.He stirred in her quixotic dreams about their future.Her mind was totally consumed with his thoughts.She felt like a dream whenever she conversed with him.

They did have their little arguments though-lovers' tiffs.But they were quickly resolved and made them even more loving towards each other.Such vicissitudes of their relationship made their bond stronger with each passing day.Robbie often teased her playfully by calling her his "aggresive lover" which she found really cute.

All this and much more was haunting Samantha now.Approximately a month back Robbie had abruptly stopped talking to her.It was sudden and without warning.Despite her incessant pleadings she received not even a smiley from Robbie.He ignored her completely.The last thirty days had been torturous for her.She had not been able to concentrate on her studies.Numbed by shock and a feeling of hopelessness,tears welled up her eyes every now and then.Her heart was broken beyond repair.She felt like she was living a chimerical life so long.One moment Robbie was there-a handsome guy who promised her the world......the next moment he just disappeared without a trace.The five month old love story suddenly ceased to exist.

The chat window blinked on her computer screen.Her virtual friends were waiting for her.
A slight breeze blew in disturbing the pages of an unread novel,which lay on her bed.The yellowed pages held the tragic story of unrequited love centred around a female protagonist.

Fighting back her silent tears Samantha sat up.She logged out of the social networking site and caressed the pages of the book.
Books were once again her best companions.They couldnt deceive or break her heart....ever.

Seen through innocent eyes

I am a six year old girl.My name is Shilpa and I am scared.......
My family possesses a television which shows scary images nowadays....burning
buildings,crying people.......and men with backpacks.These men visit me in my dreams every night.They are like the ghosts of my grandmother's stories.Every afternoon,while having lunch she tells me her stories.When i feel afraid she assures me that its just a story and ghosts dont actually exist.But my mother says that the men on tv are real...I dont know how......how could they get inside the tv??But nobody pays any attention to my questions anymore.I see their faces and I think they feel frightened too....but they still don't let me watch my favourite tom and jerry show on cartoon network.
I told my best friend,Rusha Ali few days back that even our parents are afraid of ghosts and she agreed.She also told me that they remain afraid for a long time......though we just go off to sleep after hearing ghost stories.
I had known this fact before she told me but I didn't tell her,in case she thought that my mom and dad are cowards.
Anyway I learnt a new term "terrorist".In case you don't know thats what the men on tv are called.Funny word.Why couldn't they be just called ghosts I don't know.
I have a friend at school who has a black bag exactly identical to the men on tv.I teased him about that and he complained to his mother.His mother complained to my mother and ma scolded me.She said that I shouldn't hurt anyone like that and she'l lock me up in my room if I did so again.I cried and cried and vomited out my dinner.I couldn't understand.All I had done was tease someone about his bag and so much fuss about that!
That night I decided to eavesdrop on my parents' conversation.It is bad manners to listen at doors but I was angry.I was surprised to hear that they were concerned about my safety at school and they felt that I'l have to be taught how to behave in sensitive times.
I have good friends and I play with them everyday.So I did not understand why they were talking like this and I also don't know what is so sensitive about time.But I felt afraid....not because of what they were saying but because of their tone.I know even they were afraid.A chill ran inside me.....and I started crying.

I thought I was the bravest person in my house.........but now I am not so sure anymore.

How I changed sides

The world got divided into two groups as soon as Barrack Obama was announced the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize-one group cheered him….and the other group jeered.

The whole morning I contemplated which group to be in….I finally decided that I should belong to majority (as we all know “majority wins”), so I fell into the group that jeered and happily ridiculed him along with my friends.

Apparently the Nobel Committee had given him this award to encourage his peace making initiatives. Wow! Nowadays the Nobel Prize is being given to encourage too. At this point I must say that on a second thought, in spite of my jeering, somehow the optimism bug bit me. For many people like me who are “jack of all trades but master of none” this news symbolizes hope for the future. We could one day write a mediocre novel and win a Nobel to encourage us to write a better one………we could solve petty quarrels and win a Nobel to encourage us to pacify two fighting countries…………or we could perform simple chemical experiments and win a Nobel to encourage us to invent an immortality drug………the possibilities are numerous…..and the “encouragement” is worth a mind boggling 1.4 million dollars! In this dog eat dog world what could be more desirable than a little encouragement for our sincere attempts? So dear next door neighbor do not stop stargazing……you could win a Nobel in astrophysics. Psssssst…I do not want to beat my own drum but I guess I will be encouraged one day to write a bigger novel.

Indeed Barrack Obama is a symbol of hope for millions of people waiting to achieve something……..but wait……I just realized that I have changed sides…….by the tone of the article I guess I should be belonging to the group that cheered him. Now that’s unfortunate. I’m in the minority group and I’m going to have disagreements with my friends and family. Anyway it can’t be helped…………this is the magic of hope………..thanks Mr. Obama.

An age of chameleons

Today while returning home,on a crowded bus I heard a woman loudly exclaiming that all muslims were bastards(obviously in bengali) in response to a shove she got from the man in question.I really didn't understand how she came to the conclusion that he's a muslim.This sentiment is probably common in most people,even those who claim to be "highly educated".The communal divide that was created in our minds 62 years back by the English has remained intact even though we claim to be a modernised and liberal society.The divide is not only inter religion,but also intra religion.Few days back a Hindu Brahmin friend of mine declared that she's going to marry a Brahmin only and will never settle for the other low statured castes of the Hindu religion.I wanted to ask whether her Brahmin status will ever help her to escape a tsunami or become a multimillionaire.
I can't help remembering what Chetan Bhagat said recently in an interview.Well he said marrying outside your community is the best way of showing your patriotism.Its the best thing someone could have said to portray the mindset of almost all Indians.Even a Punjabi Hindu could face caste issues if he decided to marry a Tamil Hindu because the latter could be from a different sub caste,sub-sub caste etc....The "broad minded","free thinking" intelligentsia accepts and acknowledges the diversity of our nation only as long as they don't have to live with them.In diversity lies our unity.........I guess I heard this many times...but now I know that it means holding hands and declaring ourselves to be brothers and sisters in front of the media.It definitely doesn't mean the union of sperms and eggs!!
Recently a Hindu girl i know,suddenly broke up with her Christian boyfriend because she realized all of a sudden that her parents wont allow her to marry a non Hindu.Could there be a more dumber reason?If she had even spent half the time analysing her own life rather than analysing her future marriage she could have been a much better person.Anyway this is what our society is- chameleon like-pretending to be open minded but recoiling as soon as it comes to personal dealings.
Analysts say India is on the path of becoming a developed country.The GDP is rising,India shining,roads broadening,industries prospering,ministers smiling.......but the mind is narrowing.The divide and conquer algorithm of the Britishers had worked then and its still working....now on a higher scale.
In short we are yet to recover from the colonial hangover.
Well we are an independent country-in the sense that we now make our own government.But our minds are still ruled by the ideas inserted by the Brits,for their own benefit.
The age of chameleons is here to stay!

The Jinnah effect

The book about Jinnah written by Jaswant Singh has created quite a stir and my curious probing mind at once activated itself in an attempt to understand the reason behind this.Well, lets get the facts straight first.Mr Singh wrote a book on Jinnah and got himself expelled from the BJP party.Supposedly he spent four and half years writing this book.According to him Nehru and Sardar Patel conceded Pakistan to Jinnah.In the controversial book he has persistently glorified Jinnah,calling him a secular person while critiscising Nehru and Patel.Apparently his opinions on the ghosts of history did not find favour with the whole party.However his expulsion from the party exposed the weak and repressive face of the BJP party.Nothing less than this could be expected from a hindu fundamentalist party,headed by Narendra Modi-who played an integral role in the Gujarat communal riots of 2002.
I am too much of a layman to analyze the cause behind writing this controversial book,but I can see it has generated quite a lot of publicity.And inspite of my limited knowledge about this world and politics I can guarantee one thing-publicity,whether good or bad is certainly beneficial.His narrow minded party may have expelled him but he earned a lot of accolades from Pakistan.A lot of eminent personalities have applauded him for displaying "intellectual honesty and academic integrity".
This move by the BJP party has weakened its position even further.The narrow mindedness,limiting nature of our political parties is one of the major reasons of our underdevelopement as a nation.Instead of occupying themselves with the welfare of our country they like to occupy media space and spend time over frivolous issues blissfully forgetting that every Indian is entitled to his or her own view and has the right to express himself.
I'm quite curious about this fresh take on partition from a knowledgeable man.I think its quite interesting to get different views about a particular event.Anyway its just a book where a person has expressed his opinion.Does it change history?Certainly not.
A simple book manages to ruffle so many feathers of a "democratic" nation where people turn a blind eye to poverty,starvation and famine.What could be more ignominious than this?Its high time that we broadened our outlook and stopped creating an issue out of a non issue.

Book review

Recently i got hold of a book called "Bombay rain Bombay girls" by Anirban Bose.The first impression was bad.The unimpressive and unimaginative title made me feel that its another amateurish attempt by one of those numerous authors flourishing every where.
However it turned out to be quite the contrary.
Infact I couldn't keep down the book once i started reading it.Its a story about a small town boy Adi who has just earned himself a place at a prestigious medical college in Mumbai.The boy in question suffers from a huge inferiority complex and thinks that its just a stroke of luck and not his merit which made him secure the high rank in the medical exams. Someone tells him that there are two things he should look for in Bombay-the rain and the girls.So with excitement and anticipation he lands at the Victoria Terminus all the way from Ranchi.
Every page of the book turned out to be gripping.The book is fast paced and bubbling with energy.There was hardly a dull moment.Adi's tryst with love,his repulsion at the sight of a woman giving birth in the obstetrics class,conflicts with his closest friends provided an enjoyable read.
In the backdrop of Adi's life the author also highlighted some real and practical issues about our society.For instance he illustrated through his story how we Indians consider the northeasterners aliens because of their chinese features.In their own country they are often taunted and given the sense of being "different".In another instance he pointed out the dismal state of affairs at our government hospitals and the ill treatment meted out to the poor people who are unable to go to the private hospitals for treatment.
Anirban Bose has beautifully merged individual themes to create an overall charming effect which makes me think about the characters every now and then.An undercurrent of humor runs through this engrossing read.I applaud his efforts for providing the right dose of everything-romance,humor,practicality.
To summarise it all I would just say go grab the book!!!!!