Paneer Bhape Or Steamed Paneer

Ingredients :: Paneer : 250 grams(cube sized pieces)Turmeric Powder : 1 tbspMustard Paste : 3 tbspPoppy seeds paste : 3 tbspGreen Chili : 2 slitsMustard oilSaltSugar Method :: It is the most easy preparation but the taste is just awesome. Heat the oil and fry the paneer pieces lightly and keep aside. Take a tiffin box mix turmeric powder, mustard paste, poppy seeds paste, green chili slits, salt and sugar with the fried paneer and spread 2 tbsp of mustard oil over it. Heat the water in...

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Bishnupur : the place of temples

Bishnupur is a town in Bankura district in West Bengal. This place is famous for its terracota temples. Train and bus journeys are very easy and comfortable from Kolkata.The nearest airport is Kolkata. Famous temples situated here are Shyamrai Temple, Nandalal Temple, Radhamadhab Temple, Kalachand Temple, Radhagovinda Temple and Sarbamangala Temple. Rasmancha is the Oldest brick structure situated in Bishnupur. Its Built in 1587 by Bir Hambir is a pyramidal structure in the middle of the town. ...

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Netaji Subhas - a great patriot

The name of Netaji Subhaschandra Bose will always be remembered by the Indians with great love and respect. He is considered to be one of the greatest patriots of all times. Subhaschandra was born in Cuttack in the state of Orissa on 23rd January in 1897. His father Janakinath Bose was a lawyer. Subhaschandra was a good student. He was a born leader. His love for his motherland was manifest even when he was a student. After graduation, Subhaschandra went to England to sit for the I.A.S. examination...

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Kasha Dim Or Egg Curry

Ingredients :: Eggs : 4 piecesOnion : 1(chopped)Onion paste : 4 tbspGinger paste : 1 tbspGarlic paste : 1 tbspTomato puree : 1 tbspCumin seeds : 1 tspBay leaf : 2Cumin seeds powder : 1 tspCoriander powder : 1 tspTurmeric powder : 1 tsp Red chili powder : 1 tsp Green chili : 2Garam masala powder : 1 tspMustard oilSaltSugar Method :: Boil the eggs in a pressure cooker. Marinate all the spices(except chopped onion, cumin seeds, green chili and bay leaf) with the boiled eggs for atleast half...

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Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore, a great Indian poet, is my favourite poet. Rabindranath wrote his poems, songs, short stories and other articles in Bengali. I consider myself very fortunate because I can read and write Bengali and so I can read Rabindranath's works in the original. Rabindranath Tagore was the first Indian to receive the Nobel Prize. He won it for his wonderful collection of devotional sons-"Geetanjali". It was in 1912 that he was awarded the coveted prize. Rabindranath was born in the...

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Mukutmanipur

Mukutmanipur is a small town in Bankura in West bengal. It is adjacent to the dam on Kangsabati River. It is a famous picnic spot in West Bengal. Many trains are available from Kolkata. Nearest railway station is Bankura. Regular buses and hired cars are available from Bankura to Mukutmanipur - distance 55 Km. Anyone should not miss the boating in the lake. Visiting places in Mukutmanipur are kansaabati Dam, The island in the middle of the lake and the Ambika Nagar - a Jain prilgrimage....

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Lava And Loleygaon

Lava is a small hamlet situated 34 kms east of the Kalimpong. Loleygaon is a village located at a distance of 12 km from Lava. It is in the Darjeeling District of West Bengal. Kafer, at a distance 1 km from Loleygaon, offers a heavenly view of the Kanchenjunga. An unforgettable sunrise can also be viewed from Jhandi Dara. The place is famous for the Neora Valley National Park and its beautiful view of the Jelep La and Rechi La passes. Lava is also famous for its leaches. Wild animals such as...

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Amartya Sen

When the figure of literacy is going down and down, when causes of indiscipline and lawlessness are on the increase day after day, when industrial units are closing their doors one after another, the news that Prof. Amartya Sen has won the Nobel Prize in Economics for the year 1998 comes as a shot in the arms of bengal. Every bengali anywhere in the world feels proud on account of his great achievement. Prof. Sen's honour is really a moral-booster for us all, Rabindranath Tagore was the first...

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Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose

Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose was born in a bengali family in the year 1858 in Mymensingh, now in Bangladesh.Having received his primary education in the village Pathsala he came to Kolkata and took admission in St.Xavier's School. He completed his graduation from St.Xavier's College. Then he went to England and took his B.Sc degree from Cambridge University. On his return to India, he joined Presidency College, Kolkata, as a professor. During his service career he carried on extensive research...

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Raja Rammohan Roy

Raja Rammohan Roy was a great social reformer of India. He was born on May 22, 1772 in a Bengali Brahmin family in West Bengal. As a student, he learnt many languages like Bengali, Urdu, Sanskrit, English, Arabic, Latin, French, Persian etc. He was given the title Raja by the Mughal emperor for winning a case for him. Rammohan Roy was a great scholar who studied the Holy Quran and the Upanishads. He joined the Ease India Company from 1805 to 1815 for ten years. After retiring, he spent the...

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Saurav Ganguly : Maharaj

Saurav Ganguly, bengali's pride was born on 8th July in 1972. He was born in a renowned family. His father Mr. Chandi Ganguly is an affluent printer. Ganguly's first step towards cricket was a happy accident of fate: Ganguly was not encouraged to play cricket because his parents wanted him to focus on his studies as he was a very sharp and intellingent student but his elder brother Snehasish was an accomplished cricketer. Sourav started to follow his brother and started playing cricket. As...

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Aloor dum Or Dum aloo Or Potato gravy

Ingredients :: Cardamom : 2Cinnamon stick: 1Cloves : 3Bay leaves : 2Cumin seeds : 1 tspGaram masala powder : 1/2 tspGinger paste : 1 tspGarlic Paste : 1 tspGreen chilies slits : 2Tomato puree : 1 tspOnion paste : 1 big onion'sPotatoes - 8 pieces (boiled)Red chili powder : 1 tspTurmeric powder : 1 tspSaltSugar Method :: Peel the potatoes and boil the pieces in a pressure cooker. Heat oil in a frying pan and fry till they turn into golden brown and firm. Keep aside. Take oil in a kadhai...

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Bengali Payesh / Kheer

Ingredients :: milk : 1 litrebasmati rice : 4 tbspPure ghee : 2 tspBlack cardamom : 1 pieceBay leaves : 1 piece Sugar as per required For Garnishing: kishmish/raisins broken cashew nuts Method :: Boil the milk in a low flame till it thickens.Remember to stir from bottom of the pan otherwise milk can burn from the lower side.Heat 2 tsp ghee in a frying pan fry bay leaves & a piece of black cardamom with the washed rice till the rice turns into golden.Add the mixture to the milk.Don't...

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Dhokar Dalna

Ingredients :: Cholar dal : 1 Cup (chana dal/Bengal gram)Potato : 1 (Medium) cut into cube sizesTomato : 1 (Medium) cut into small piecesGinger paste : 1 tspCumin seeds : 1 tspCoriander powder : 1 tspCumin seed powder : 1 tspTurmeric powder : 1/2 tspChili powder : 1 tspGaram masalaGheeMustard oilSalt to tasteSugar Method :: Wash and soak Bengal gram in the water for 6 hours. Drain water and grind the dal in a mixer grinder and make a fine paste of the Bengal Gram. Heat oil in a frying pan...

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Santiniketan : abode of peace

Santiniketan is a small town in the Birbhum district in West Bengal. Rabindranath Tagore’s father Maharshi Debendranath Tagore established Santiniketan (abode of peace) in 1863. Today the place is known as second home of Rabindranath Tagore. Vichittra and Art Gallery – Nandan will take you closer to the great poet. Natural beauty of Santiniketan is still mesmerizing. You may visit to the Deer Park or Ballavpur Wildlife Sanctuary where you will find Black Buck, spotted deer, jackals, foxes and...

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Murshidabad

Murshidabad was the last capital city of independent Bengal and was named after Nawab Murshid Quli Khan, the Dewan of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. After the historic battle of Palashi in 1757 between Nawab Siraj-Ud-Daula and Lord Clive, of East India Company British got the ultimate supremacy in India. Hazarduari Palace( the palace with a “thousand doors”) is the main tourist attraction here. It was built in 1837 by Duncan McLeod for the Nawab Najim Humaun Jah, descendent of Mir Zafar. It is now...

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Kolkata : The City Of Joy

Kolkata is the heart of East India. Tourist attractions here are Fort William, Victoria Memorial, Eden Gardens (Stadium), Birla Planetarium, Howrah Bridge, Marble Palace, Writer’s Building, Nicco Park, Saheed Minar, National Library, Botanical Gardens, Science City, Kalighat temple, Belur Math, MP Birla Planetarium, Indian Museum (Jadu Ghar), Alipur Zoo and many more. Kolkata means Park Lane! Dreamy place!! It means Yellow cabs, makeshift buses, trams,metros, ride across the Hooghly. It's a...

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Sunderban : The Royal Bengal Tiger

Sundarban is the largest mangrove forest in the world. It is mostly famous for the Royal Bengal Tiger. The Sundarbans provides an eco biological system and a rich wildlife habitat. According to the 2011 tiger census, the Sundarbans have about 270 tigers.150 species of commercially important fishes, 270 species of birds, 42 species of mammals, 35 reptiles and 8 amphibian species are also available here. ...

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Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary

Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary is a reserved park situated at the foothills of Eastern Himalayas in Jalpaiguri District in West Bengal. It is located on the bank of river Torsa. The main attraction of the sanctuary is Asiatic one-horned rhinoceros. The other animals available in this sanctuary are Royal Bengal Tigers, elephants, deers, sambhar, barking deer, spotted deer, hog deer, wild pig, bisons. Here anyone can find a huge collection of animals. Jaldapara is mostly popular for bird watchers...

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Dooars

Duar means door in Assamese, Nepali, Bhojpuri, Magahi and Bengali languages. The floodplains and foothills areas of the eastern Himalayas in North-East India is called Duars as it is the gateway or the door to Bhutan. The beauty of this region are not only for the tea gardens but also for the dense jungles that make up the countryside. The wildlife sanctuaries and national park like Manas National Park in Assam, Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary, Buxar National Park, Gorumara National Park, Chapramari...

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Shankarpur : The Lonely Beach

Shankarpur sea beach is one of the least crowded beaches in the country. Main attraction in the beach is Red crabs. You can see thousands of red crabs on the beach. Its almost impossible to catch even a single one if you try to run and catch. They can run even faster(not really) than you. Its a must visit place for younger members in your family if you come to Digha...

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Mandarmani

Mandarmani, a 13 km long motorable beach (probably, the longest driveable beach in India) and a seaside resort village, is located in one of the southern districts of West Bengal . It is almost 180 km from Kolkata Airport on the Kolkata - Digha route and 14 km from Chaulkhola. Mandarmani is one of Bengal’s recently developed tourist destination that lies close to ever-popular Digha and Shankarpur. It is connected to Kolkata/Howrah by a highway The clear water, pristine sea beach and untrammeled...

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Junput

Junput, a small coastal fishing village in West Bengal, is about 9 km from Contai town and 40 km away from Digha by bus. If someone wants to go from Kolkata, he has to drive to Contai and then turn towards Junput. There is no beach in Junput. The marvellous sea-view and lines of casuarina trees masmerice the tourists. Fish cultivation and research are done here by the State Government Fisheries Department. After independence, Junput was considered for development as a beach resort, however Digha...

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Digha

Digha is the most popular sea beach in the state of West Bengal in India. It is situated in the East Midnapore district, 190 km far from kolkata. Thousands of visitors flock to Digha every year to break the monotony of the hectic routine life . It is also a very renowned weekend spot. One can view both sunrise and sunset at the Digha sea beach. The rays of the rising and the setting sun reflecting on the salty waters of the Bay of Bengal produce an artistic imagery and something straight off...

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Drug addiction : is now a serious issue in Kolkata

Drug Addiction is a menace to the society & has seriously affected the life in Kolkata now-a-days. Drugs have become the fancy of our youth. This is a matter of grave concern. This implies physical dependence upon a drug. An addict requires more and more quantity of drug to transport him to the world of fantasy. The metropolitan cities of India like Kolkata are in the vicious grip of this drug menace and telling upon the physical and mental health of our young generation, who is considered...

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Problems of price rise

Price hike has always been a topic of discussion since ages but the situation has never been so grave as of late. Rise in prices in the international market, high rate of inflation, economic upheavels in the stock market and shortage of supply to meet increasing demands are the major contributing factors behind price hike. The abrupt soaring of prices of daily essentials like gasoline, edible oils etc are beyond the means of the middle-class and daily wage earners, who are the most hard-hit....

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Bengali Aloo Posto/ Potato with Poppy seed

Ingredients :: Potato : 6 medium sizes (cut into cube shapes)Poppy seed paste : 6 tbspMustard oilOnion : 1 medium sizes (finely chopped)Tomato : 1 small sizes (cut into small pieces)Cumin seeds : 1 tspRed chili : 2SaltSugar Method :: Soak the poppy seeds in the water for an hour then just strain the poppy seeds by a tea-strainer. Grind it in a mixer grinder amd make it a smooth paste. Heat oil in a frying pan and add the cumin seeds and red chili and afterthat fry the chopped onions till...

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Special Omelete

Ingredients :: Eggs : 2Onion : 1/2 (finely chopped)Green chili : (cut into small pieces)Ginger paste : 1/2 tspTomato : 1/3 (cut into small pieces)Milk : 1 tbspMustard oilSalt to taste Method :: Beat the eggs and mix it with chopped onion, green chili, tomato pieces, ginger paste, milk and salt till it foamed. Heat oil in a frying pan and cook in low flame till mixture gets firm and fry another side with the same process too. Serve hot with rice / bread / paratha, Also have it as a sna...

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Black Gram/ Biuli Dal/ Urad Dal

Ingredients :: Black gram : 1 cup (biuli dal/ urad dal)Water : 3 cups (Ratio 1:3)Turmeric Powder : 1 tspMustard Oilbay leaf : 2Red Chili : 2Ginger Paste : 1 tbspHing/Asafoetida : 1 tsp Method :: Wash and soak the daal for atleast 1 hour and then boil it in a pressure cooker with turmeric powder and and give 2 whistle. Keep it aside. Heat oil in a frying pan, add bay leaf, whole red chili and ginger paste and fry till it smells, add hing or asafoetida too, finally its time to pour...

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Nuclear Family - A big issue

Gone are the days of large families. The society's single most important institution has shrunk in size so much so that it is now termed as "NUCLEAR". Typically in the modern day, family consists of parents and one or at the most two children. Spiralling cost of living, housing problem and migration in search of better job prospects are tha main causes of growth of nuclear families. The nuclear family has its demerits. The children brought up in isolation develop a sense of emotional insecurity....

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Fast food causes many diseases in Bengal

Now-a-days people are leading hectic and tremendous busy life than before. Everybody is trying to earn their livelihood so they are mostly becoming self-dependant. In this busy life they have to manage everything. They dont have such any time and patience either to waste in the kitchen. Therefore, they prefer to take fast food from the wayside to avoid hassle in a regular basis. We can call those food as fast food which can be prepared so fast and generally these are very spicy and unhygienic...

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Hawker Problem in Kolkata

Hawker problem has always been an issue for Kolkata. With the flux of time, more number of people have taken up this life as a suitable source of income. Infact, street hawking have become a menace now. It is next to impossible for pedestrians to walk on pavements as all pavements are encroached upon by hawkers. Sometimes, when the media raises a hue and cry, the civic authorities suddenly awakes from their slumber and demolishes some makeshift stalls. They try to show the people that they...

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Khichuri Or khichdi

Khichuri basically is a preparation made from rice ans dal(lentils) :: Ingredients :: Rice : 250 gramsDal/ Red gram : 250 gramsMustard oil : 2 tbspOnion : 1 big (chopped)Garlic : 5 big pieces (chopped)Ginger : 10 grams (chopped) Turmeric Powder : 1 tbspPanchforan (literally "five seeds", namely saunf, sarson, methi,ajwain and mangraeel(Kalaunji): 1 tspRed Chili : 3 piecesGreen Chili : 2 piecesBayleaf : 2SaltSugar Method :: Wash rice and dal/ Red gram properly and let them cook until...

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Some important festivals in West Bengal

It is said that in West Bengal there are twelve months and Thirteen festivals in a year. The number of festivals as mentioned in the saying, is much less than the actual number of festivals that we have in west Bengal, if we take into consideration the religious rituals observed in different parts of the state. The most important of the festivals is, of course, the Durga Puja. There is hardly a Bengalee living in West Bengal who does not enjoy himself during the Durga Puja festival. The Kali...

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Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay

Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay was the father of the modern Bengali novel. During the days when the Bengali literature was in its infancy, Bankimchandra's powerful pen produced wonderfully romantic novels. Various are the themes on which Bankimchandra based his novels. They are historical, social, political and romantic. Bankimchandra wrote satirical essays. The essays are proofs of Bankimchandra's great erudition and his awareness of the social and political evils of the time. They are full of...

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ILish Machh Bhaja Or Fried Hilsa

Ingredients :: Ilish machh or Hilsa fish piecesturmeric powdersaltmustard oil Method :: Marinate the pieces with turmeric and salt for 5 minutes. Heat oil in a frying pan until it starts to smoke . Leave the pieces into the oil very carefully and fry them until they become light brown on both sides. And finally they are ready to serve. If anyone wants to get the taste of this fried hilsa properly please have it with khichdi (Which is a preparation made from rice and lentils/da...

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Begun Bhaja Or Brinjal Fry

Ingredients :: Brinjal :(5 pieces) Medium round slicesTurmeric Powder : 1/2 tspRed Chili Powder : 1/2 tspAmchoor Powder (Dried mango) : 3 pinchesMustard oil to deep frySalt to taste Method :: Marinate medium round slices of the brinjal on both sides with turmeric powder, red chili powder, amchoor powder and salt for atleast 20 minutes. Squeeze out water from the brinjals, oozing out due to marinating. Heat mustard oil in a frying pan. Fry not more than two at a time. Fry till they become...

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