Paneer Bhape Or Steamed Paneer

Ingredients ::

Paneer : 250 grams(cube sized pieces)
Turmeric Powder : 1 tbsp
Mustard Paste : 3 tbsp
Poppy seeds paste : 3 tbsp
Green Chili : 2 slits
Mustard oil
Salt
Sugar

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 a pan (big in size) and keep the tiffin box inside the water. Cook the paneer in steam in this way and keep it for 10-12 minutes. Serve it with rice.

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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.

Dalmadal Caman is also a main attraction of this place.

Bishnupuri Silk and Baluchari Silk sarees are world famous.

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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 . He passed the examination but refused to serve the British who were rulling India. He returned to India and joined the freedom movement under the leadership and guidance of Deshabandhu Chittaranjan Das. Very soon he became one of the most popular leaders of the country. The British rulers were afraid of him. they placed him behind bars several times, and tried in many ways to subdue him. The fiery spirit of Subhaschandra won him many followers in the Indian National Congress. Subhaschandra was elected President of the Congress despite opposition from such great leaders as Mahatma Gandhi.
When he left the INC to form his own party, the Forward Bloc, the world was on the brink of a great war. The Second world War broke out in 1939, ans Subhaschandra was interned in his own house in Kolkata. He left India i disguise soon after, and went from Germany to Japan. In Japan he took charge of the Indian National Army- the Azad Hind Fouj- and came to be known as Netaji.
Netaji led the Azad Hind Fouj in a battle with the British forces and succeeded in capturing Kohima, a town in the state of Manipur in India. Unfortunately for Netaji, the war was drawing to a clsoe, and the Japanese were retreating. One day, in 1945, Netaji took off in an aeroplane for an unknown destination. The aeroplane crashed and it was reported that Netaji had been killed in the crash.
Many people do not believe the story of Netaji's death. There is a mystery surrounding the story. Netaji will live forever in the memory of every Indian. The history of India's struggle for freedom will keep on record the great exploits of Netaji Subhaschandra Bose.

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Kasha Dim Or Egg Curry

Ingredients ::

Eggs : 4 pieces
Onion : 1(chopped)
Onion paste : 4 tbsp
Ginger paste : 1 tbsp
Garlic paste : 1 tbsp
Tomato puree : 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds : 1 tsp
Bay leaf : 2
Cumin seeds powder : 1 tsp
Coriander powder : 1 tsp
Turmeric powder : 1 tsp
Red chili powder : 1 tsp
Green chili : 2
Garam masala powder : 1 tsp
Mustard oil
Salt
Sugar

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 an hour. Heat oil in a frying pan and temper it with cumin seeds, bay leaf, chopped onion and green chili and cook till the onion turns into golden, afterthat mix the eggs along with the spices. Cook it for 3 minutes, add water and again cook till the gravy becomes thick. Serve it with rice or roti.

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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 illustrious Tagore family of Jorasanko in Kolkata in the year 1861. His date of birth, according to the Bengali calender, was 25th Vaisakha(9th May). Rabindranath's father was Maharishi Devendranath Tagore, a deeply religious man who was a leader of the Brahmo Samaj.
Rabindranath wrote many beautiful poems and songs. He was a gifted musician, and composed the music for most of his songs himself. The songs of Tagore, popularly called "Rabindra Sangeet", are very popular with music lovers. Rabindranath wrote short wherein he depicted the social condition of his time. His short stories are still popular.
Rabindranath established, the Santiniketan near Kolkata, a school wherein he experimented with his own ideas in education. It has now become a university- the Viswa Bharati-acknoledged by people all over the world to be a great seat of learning.
Rabindranath died in 1941, but he is still remembered, loved and respected by all for his poems, songs and short stories. he is the national poet of two nations India and Bangladesh. In India, "Jana Gana Mana", a song composed by him, is the national song. The works of Rabindranath have been translated into many languages. We Indians are very much proud of him.

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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 the Himalayan Black Bear and barking deer are found in profusion in these parts.

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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 bengali and the first Indian and the first Asian to win the Nobel prize in Literature in 1913, and Amartya Sen again in 1998 is the first Nobel laureate in Economics.
Amartya Sen was born in November 3, 1933. His father was Ashutosh Sen, an expert in agriculture. His mother, Amita Debi, was a noble lady. He is the grandson of kshiti Mohan Sen, a Sanskrit teacher of Viswabharati. It was Rabindranath who gave him his name. He had his early education at Santiniketan. Then he moved to Presidency College, Kolkata. Finally he became a student of the Cambridge University. He is at present the Master of Trinity College, Cambridge, a rare honour for anyone. He taught in Jadavpur University (1956-58), Delhi University (1963-71), London School of Economics(1971-77), and Oxford University(1977-80). He has also taught at Harvard as a professor of Economics and Philosophy. He is a great teacher and is very popular with his students. He is really a polite and humble gentleman. Unlike other Indians abroad, he has not severed his connection with his motherland. Nor has he ever applied for any foreign citizenship. Every year he visits Santiniketan during the winter. At that time he does not feel ashamed to put on a dhoti or to ride an old bicycle or to gossip at an ordinary tea-shop.
He has already written eighteen books and earned international recognition as an author. Among his notable books we may mention, Choice of Techniques(1960), Growth Economics(1970), On Economic Inequality(1973), Poverty and famines(1981), Choice, Welfare and Measurement(1982), On Ethics and Economics(1987), The Political Economy of Hunger(1990-91), Economic Development and social Opportunity(1995).
He is joyous because the Nobel Committee has particularly recognised and mentioned his contributions in Welfare Economics which he loves so much. He is not ready to recognise the economic development of India which is the fourth state in the world to go nuclear because its performance in health, education, land-reforms and certain basic requirements is extremely unsatisfactory. Now it to be seen how the indian Govt. makes the best use of his wonderful feats in the field of Welfare Economics. We wish Amartya Sen a long, prosperous, happy and healthy life.

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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 on Electro-magnet and plant-life during the period 1884 to 1915. His great post retirement work, foundation of the Bose Institute in Kolkata in 1917, enormously helped development of Science in India. As a scientist Sir J.C.bose is ranked as one of the greatest in the world. This great scientist left us in 1937.

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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 rest of his life serving the people of India.
Raja Rammohan Roy had always been interested in social reforms. He worked very hard for improving the conditions of the people of India, and did great work in social, religious, political and educational fields.
Raja Rammohan Roy is best remembered for his work against the Sati System. It was a cruel practice where a wife had to burn herself at the funeral pyre of her husband. He persuaded the people of Bengal to rise against it. Finally, Lord William Bentinck declared Sati to be illegal in 1829.
He founded the Brahmo Samaj which was against idol worship. He fought for the rights of women. He wanted to free Hinduism of all its evils and make it a noble religion again. He fell ill in 1833, and died on September 27. His service to the cause of women will always be remembered.

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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 a person Sourav Ganguly is very quiet, reserved, undemonstrative man with nerves of steel. Sourav is a deeply religious person and observes a fast every Tuesday. He is married to Dona, who is a famous odissi dancer. Achievements In February 2008, Ganguly joined as the captain of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) team, owned by Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan, as part of the Indian Premier League (IPL) Ganguly was appointed the Captain of the Indian cricket team in February, 2000. Ganguly was the Man of the Series in the New Zealand-India 5 match ODI series in November 1999. Ganguly made a mammoth 183 against Sri Lanka in World Cup 1999, which, at that time, was the Highest ODI Score by an Indian, beating Kapil Dev's Record of 175*. Ganguly was the Man of the Series in the Pepsi Cup 1999 (March-April) for scoring 278 runs and taking 6 wickets in total. Saurav Ganguly has the distinction of being one of the few players in the World to Score a century and take 4 wickets in the same match. (ODIs) Saurav Ganguly along with Tendulkar forms the 4th Best Opening Pair in the History of One-day cricket. Saurav Ganguly and Tendulkar were involved in a World Record Opening Partnership of 252. Saurav Ganguly scored a Century on Debut at Lords in 1996, and went on to score a century in the very next match as well. Saurav Ganguly was named Sport star Person of the Year 1998. He also won the Arjuna Award in 1998. Saurav Ganguly was the Highest Run-Scorer for India in ODIs in 1997. In the Sahara Cup 1997, Saurav Ganguly set a new World Record for 5 consecutive Man of the Match Awards. He was also the Man of the Series.

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Aloor dum Or Dum aloo Or Potato gravy

Ingredients ::

Cardamom : 2
Cinnamon stick: 1
Cloves : 3
Bay leaves : 2
Cumin seeds : 1 tsp
Garam masala powder : 1/2 tsp
Ginger paste : 1 tsp
Garlic Paste : 1 tsp
Green chilies slits : 2
Tomato puree : 1 tsp
Onion paste : 1 big onion's
Potatoes - 8 pieces (boiled)
Red chili powder : 1 tsp
Turmeric powder : 1 tsp
Salt
Sugar

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 and put in the bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and cumin seeds till they splutter. Add onion paste, ginger paste, garlic paste and tomato puree in it and stir for 2 minutes, if required you can add a little water with it. Add the red chilli powder and turmeric powder and cook for more 1 minute, mix salt and sugar in it. Finally you will give the boiled pieces of potatoes and cool till they turn tender and the paste should go inside the pieces, in case you can make hole with the fork. Cook the masala along with the potatoes with 1 cup of water for more 2 minutes. Add the garam masala powder for the taste and decorate it with green chilies. Serve hot with rice, roti, luchi/puri in hindi or paratha.

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Bengali Payesh / Kheer

Ingredients ::

milk : 1 litre
basmati rice : 4 tbsp
Pure ghee : 2 tsp
Black cardamom : 1 piece
Bay 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 boil excessively.When the rice is boiled, mix sugar as per your requirements and sprinkle kishmish and broken cashew.Cool paayesh and serve in a bowl.

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Dhokar Dalna

Ingredients ::

Cholar dal : 1 Cup (chana dal/Bengal gram)
Potato : 1 (Medium) cut into cube sizes
Tomato : 1 (Medium) cut into small pieces
Ginger paste : 1 tsp
Cumin seeds : 1 tsp
Coriander powder : 1 tsp
Cumin seed powder : 1 tsp
Turmeric powder : 1/2 tsp
Chili powder : 1 tsp
Garam masala
Ghee
Mustard oil
Salt to taste
Sugar

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 and pour the paste into it, add sugar, salt, turmeric powder with it and cook it till it becomes tight. Smear 1 drop oil in a dish. Pour the cooked dal and spread on the dish. Press lightly with the back of the spoon so that it sets properly. Cool it and cut the dhoka into square or diamond shapes. After an hour again heat oil in the frying pan and fry the dhoka pieces. Keep them aside. Fry the potato pieces and add cumin seeds, ginger paste, cumin seed powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, chili powder, salt and sugar with it, if required mix a little water with it and cook till the spice gets seperate with the oil. Then add water and cook tillthe potatoes get boil. When it is ready add the square shaped dhoka with it and cook only for a single minute. Add garam masala and ghee for the additional taste.

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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 a variety of water birds.

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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 converted to a museum and has an exquisite collection of armor – including 2700 weapons and armor, swords used by Shiraj-ud-Daulla and his grandfather. Other places to visit are Wasef Manzil by the bank of the Ganga, Tripolia Gate, the Dakshin Darwaza, the Chak Darwaza, the Gharighar (the Clock Tower), the Bachchawali Tope (a canon manufactured in the 12th and 14th centuries and required 18 kilograms of gunpowder to fire a dingle cannon ball), Katra Mosque etc.

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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 heavenly world.. Kolkata .. the city is more like a museum .. full of culture... its about the yellow taxis... one way traffic which changes its direction twice in a day and creates nuisance... people say "You can take the bong out of kolkata but you cant take the kolkata out of the bong"!!!!

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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 too. The Crested Eagle, Pallas’s Fishing Eagle and shikra, besides Jungle fowl, peafowl, patridges, Bengal Florican and lesser Pied Hornbill are easily can visible here. 8 species of fresh water turtles along with Python, monitor lizards, kraits, cobras, geckos are also available here.

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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 Wildlife Reserve and the Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary are located in this region. A number of rare endangered species of animals like tiger, rhinoceros, elephant, deer, bison, birds and reptiles are available here.

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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 silt coloured sand, offer a charismatic view to the visitors. The calm & serene atmosphere soothes your soul & offers a healing touch to those weary of the din & bustle of the city life. It is, infact, slowly becoming very popular among the tourists. People from various offices chose this place for team outing and as picnic spots.

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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 was later chosen instead. Later, Junput was harnessed for scientific research and industry. The centre for studies in marine biology is the nucleus for the area's sea-fish research and shark oil extraction. Junput also has a farm for breeding ducks. This beach is still unpolluted due to less number of visitors. However, it is steadily drawing tourists & offers better enjoyment as compared to 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 an artist's easel. The sea at Digha is calm and shallow for about a mile from the beach making it quite safe for swimming. There are several outing spots in Digha. The most popular of which are Udaipur, Shankarpur, Mandarmani, Junput, Lord Shiva temple at Chandenaswar, Subarnarekha river, Talsari and MARC (The Marine Aquarium and Research Centre).

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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 to be the future of our Country. Drugs mainly used by the addicts are hasish, cocaine, narcotics, hallucinations, stimulants, sedatives, marijuana and amphetamines, all of which are considered to be habit forming drugs. A drug addict loses all sense of time, place and person. Hallucinations and delusions may also follow. Aberrations in perception are quite marked. Drug intake dilates pupils of the eyes, flushes the fall, raises the body temperature and accelerates the heart-beat. Sometimes blood pressure shoots up followed by convulsions and fits. These kinds of drugs are supposed to increase alertness and vigour but their effect is short timed. Medically, drugs are used to reduce depression. Taken with out medical supervision, people tend to take overdoses and this may lead to addiction. Barbiturates if taken with narcotics can prove fatal. It can play havoc with the life of a person. It can ruin a smiling family and bonding relationships. The personality of the addict is dwarfed. Efforts alone by the Government is not sufficient to deal with this menace. Every citizen of the country with sound mentality should join hands with the law-enforcing agencies and make a concerted effort to root out this evil by checking the diabolic trafficking in drugs and meting out severe punishments to peddlers, which can act as an eye-opener for all & restrain people from taking to drugs.

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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. Think of the case of the Pensioners, who have to manage on their own with the meager pension that they get out of their savings. No one seems to be bothered about the common man. Instead, the political parties raise a hue-and-cry for a day or two in order to gain political mileage. Infact, price-hike provides them with a scope satisfy their vested interests. With the increase in population and demand for space to live, farming lands are converted to high rises. This has resulted in lesser produce than demand. Salary of a person is not increasing at the same time. So, to meet both ends they are forced to compromise on quality. In this way, they are unable to save money, which they will require at a certain age after their superannuation. The Govt. has to take stern steps to curb price rise & immediately stop exports for the time-being so that, increase in demands can be coped-up-with. If the produce is controlled or restricted, then it can provide some sort of breather to the mass, who will, else, have to die out of hunger.

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Bengali Aloo Posto/ Potato with Poppy seed

Ingredients ::

Potato : 6 medium sizes (cut into cube shapes)
Poppy seed paste : 6 tbsp
Mustard oil
Onion : 1 medium sizes (finely chopped)
Tomato : 1 small sizes (cut into small pieces)
Cumin seeds : 1 tsp
Red chili : 2
Salt
Sugar

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 it turns golden, next add the cube sized potatoes and let them fry, finally its the time to add poppy seeds paste and cook it for 2 minutes. Pour water and cover it for 10 minutes till the potatoes get boil. Stir in salt and sugar. The recipe should be thicky.Serve it with rice or roti.

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Special Omelete

Ingredients ::

Eggs : 2
Onion : 1/2 (finely chopped)
Green chili : (cut into small pieces)
Ginger paste : 1/2 tsp
Tomato : 1/3 (cut into small pieces)
Milk : 1 tbsp
Mustard oil
Salt 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 snack.

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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 tsp
Mustard Oil
bay leaf : 2
Red Chili : 2
Ginger Paste : 1 tbsp
Hing/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 the dal over it and cook for 2 mins. If necessary add little water. Add a pinch of sugar for the taste. Remember it should not be too thicky. Serve hot with rice.

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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. This is because now-a-days both the parents are working from morning to late evening and the children are brought up by house-maids or in creches. They dont have their grans parents as well as parents around them to give them the much needed emotional support and security. The children grow up as selfish and spoilt lot. Age old values like respect for seniors and aged, sense of sharing and living together are on their way out. Life is mechanical and from day one children grow up as robots. With the sole air to live up to their parents ever increasing expectations and finally earn money and recognisition where filial attachment and family ties fall flat.

While joint families still exise, their numbers are fats dwindling due to pressure of modern living. The need of the hour is to revive our value systems and traditions so that inspite of the nuclear set up in today's mechanical world the posterity develop a sense of understanding, caring, sensitiveness and grow up to become worthy citizens.

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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 too. No doubt, these are very tasty thats why people get an addiction for them. THey even dont think once about the quality of the food. Somehow they want to appease their hunger. Rolls, kababs, Chowmins are the famous fast food available in Kolkata. These are mainly prepared in an unhygienic and open place surrounded by the dust and germs. The utensils where the food is cooked, its not being washed properly which are not contamination free thus may cause severe abdominal disease also these type of fast food causes some severe ailments like renal failures. Nobody knows whats the source of this water? They use the same adulterate oil day by day. By taking this type of food continuously we can lose our appetite. We, the people of kolkata are now leading a very unhealthy life. From the very fast of our life, we became habituated with this food style, thats why we are struggling with the diseases like Obesity, High Cholesterol, FLD(Fatty Liver disease), high blood-pressure, hyper tension etc. It's only merit is its very tasty and can be made within a short period of time and people can get it ready for their consumption with more or less economical price. To avoid its hazard its better to avoid taking this kind of fast food regularly.

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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 are concerned about it. This is just an eyewash and a stopgap measure. My question is "Has anyone ponderedabout the causes of hawkery"? The increase in population has given rise to dearth of jobs and mass un-employment. So. what will people do to live from hand to mouth. They also, have to support their families. The govt. has not bothered to take any measure to curb population, increase the job opportunities. Moreover, we get the same quality of goods as in shopping malls at evn lower price. So, people have also not bothered to force the authorities to think about it. Lot of lives depend on hawking. So, hawkers cannot be evicted forcibly. The Authorities have to think of an alternative source of rehabilitation for hawkers so that, this issue can be controlled at some point of time.

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Khichuri Or khichdi

Khichuri basically is a preparation made from rice ans dal(lentils) ::

Ingredients ::

Rice : 250 grams
Dal/ Red gram : 250 grams
Mustard oil : 2 tbsp
Onion : 1 big (chopped)
Garlic : 5 big pieces (chopped)
Ginger : 10 grams (chopped)
Turmeric Powder : 1 tbsp
Panchforan (literally "five seeds", namely saunf, sarson, methi,ajwain and mangraeel(Kalaunji): 1 tsp
Red Chili : 3 pieces
Green Chili : 2 pieces
Bayleaf : 2
Salt
Sugar

Method ::

Wash rice and dal/ Red gram properly and let them cook until they boil. Add salt and turmeric powder with it. When the rice and dal is ready , heat oil in a frying pan and give bayleaf, red chili, green chili and panchforan into it and add chopped onion, garlic and ginger and fry till it turns golden. Finally add this fry masala/ spice with the rice and dala and cook for 5 minutes more. Add a little sugar for the taste . Serve hot with pure ghee on top

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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 puja, which comes in the wake of Durga Puja, is also an important festival. Diwali, the festival of light and crackers, gives a touch of gaiety to the Kali Puja.

Among other religious festivals are the Laxmi Puja and the Saraswati Puja. The first is the Goddess of wealth and the second Goddess of learning. The Saraswati Puja, ornanized by the students, is held mostly in all the educational institutions in the state.

The festivals of the New Year and Holi are social festivals. Holi is the festival of spring. People sprinkle different colours on one another, liquid or dry, and make merry. Feeding sweets to near and dear ones is a common characteristic feature in all these festivals.

The Navanna is a popular festival in rural Bengal. After the harvest of crops, late in autumn, the farmers in the vast country side prepare tasty items of food and invite their friends and relatives to partake of them.

The muslims celebrate their own religious festivals such as the Eid with great pomp and splendour. the Muharram is also an important Muslim festival in West Bengal.

During most of these festivals, colourful fairs are held in West Bengal. People wear new clothes and ornaments and greet their acquaintances with mirth and glee.

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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 humour and are fondly read by the bengalee readers. Almost a century has passed since Bankimchandra's death. The Bengali literature is not enriched by the contributors of such great writers as Rabindranath Tagore, Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Kazi Nazrul Islam and Michael Madhusudan Dutta. And yet, the works of Bankimchandra are acknowledged by all to be treasures that the Bengali literature can be proud of. Bankim Chandra wrote his novels at a time when the people of India had only begun to organize themselves and intensify their struggle for freedom from the British rulers. To the freedom fighters the writings of Bankimchandra were sourcesog great inspiration. "Anand Math", one of the most popular novels written by him, reveals the love that he has for his country. "Bande Matram", a song written by him, is now our national song. "Raj Singha" is based on history. "Vish Vriksha", "Rajani" and "Krishkanter Will" have social themes. "Kapalkundala" and "Devi Chaudhurani" also depict social evils that tormented people in those days, but they are full of romance and adventure. In "Kamalakanter Daptar" Bankimchandra reveals his keen perception of social evils and political shortcomings. His essays have established him as a powerful critic and his satirical style of writing is inimitable.

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ILish Machh Bhaja Or Fried Hilsa

Ingredients ::

Ilish machh or Hilsa fish pieces
turmeric powder
salt
mustard 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/dal)

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Begun Bhaja Or Brinjal Fry

Ingredients ::

Brinjal :(5 pieces) Medium round slices
Turmeric Powder : 1/2 tsp
Red Chili Powder : 1/2 tsp
Amchoor Powder (Dried mango) : 3 pinches
Mustard oil to deep fry
Salt 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 golden and crispy. Serve hot with chapatis.

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