Kolhapuri chutney/dry spice mix

Description

This is a traditional spice mix of Kolhapur.  We Kolhapuris (आम्ही कोल्हापुरी) cannot cook without this spice mix.  This mixture contains most of the spices used in Indian cuisine and one need not add anything else to the recipe after adding this.  Kolhapuri rassa and sukka recipes are incomplete without Kolhapuri chutney.  Local Kolhapuri people generally prepare this in large quantities (5-6 kg of chillies which yields about 10-12 kg of chutney) in the summer and store it in large china containers.  The chillies and spices are pounded (not ground in a flour mill).  The pounding gives a distinct flavour to the chillies.  My mother-in-law used to own a pounding machine that she operated in a room attached to the house.  The aroma of the chutney floating through the house during the summer months was mesmerising.  Today, I am bringing to you a recipe she taught me that has been graded down and can be prepared at home.

Ingredients:

Red chilli powder - 500 gm

Refined cooking oil - 1/2 L (approx)

Rock salt - 500 gm

Dry coconut - 150 gm

Ingredients for dry roasting:

Coriander seeds (dhaniya) 75 g

White sesame seeds (til) - 75 g

Ingredients to be roasted in a generous amount of oil

Bay leaves (tamalpatri) - 5-10

Black pepper  (kali mirch) - 3-4 (if you do not like it too spicy, skip)

Cloves (laung) - 8-10

Cinnamon (dalchini) - two 2-inch pieces

Black cardamom (kali elaichi)- 5

Green cardamom (hari elaichi)- 8-10

Star anise (Badam phool ) - 2

Mace (Jaipatri)- 2 (also called Ram patri or Ram phool)

Tailed pepper (nakeshwar) - 1 tsp

Asafetida (hing) - 1/2 cube (usually 1 inch x 1 inch)

Turmeric stick (halkund) - 3

Nutmeg (Jaiphal) - 1/2

Black stone flower (dagadful) - one pinch

Mustard seeds - 2 tsp.

Onions - 250 gm

Ingredients to be added raw

Garlic - 100 gm (peeled)

Ginger - 100 gm (washed and skinned)

Coriander leaves (washed, dried and chopped) - 1 cup

Cumin seeds (jeera) - 75 g

Black cumin seeds (shahjeera) - 1 tsp

Method:

1.  Peel and slice the ginger, peel the garlic, peel and chop the onions, slice the dry coconut in thin slices.

2.  In a pan, dry roast sesame seeds until they splutter.  Set aside.

3.  Dry roast the coriander seeds till the aroma is liberated.  Set aside in a separate plate.

4.  Ensure the rock salt is absolutely dry (you can dry it out in the sun or roast in a pan).

5.  Check your cumin seeds.  If they are not very crisp (usually happens in cloudy weather/monsoon) warm them up for a couple of minutes in the pan.

6.  Heat approx 100 ml of oil in the pan.  Roast the dry coconut till golden brown in colour.  Remove from oil and set aside.

7.  In the same pan, add in some more oil and roast each of the ingredients under the heading " Ingredients To Be Roasted In A Generous Amount Of Oil" (excluding onions) one by one in the order they are listed.  Add in oil as needed.  You can collect all of the oil-roasted ingredients in the same container. 

8.  Add in rest of the oil and roast the onions on a low flame till golden brown.

9.  Let all the ingredients cool down.

10.  In a mixer grinder, finely grind all the coriander seeds.  Run the powder through a sieve.  If there is too much residue in the sieve, grind again with some salt.  Run through the sieve again.

11.  Grind the sesame seeds with a handful of salt to a fine powder.

12.  Grind the dry coconut slices finely with some salt.

13.   Grind the oil-roasted spices (add in the cumin seeds) finely with some salt.

14.  Drain oil from onion.  Grind the mixture of oil, garlic, ginger, and coriander leaves with all the remaining salt to a fine paste.  DO NOT ADD ANY WATER.

15.  In a large bowl, add in the chilli powder, coriander powder, sesame powder, dry coconut powder, and all the ground spices including the ginger/garlic/onion/coriander paste and mix uniformly.  Add in the oil drained from the roasted onions and mix again.  Cover with a clean fabric and set aside to cool down for 10-12 hours.  Store in an airtight container.  Stays well for over a year.

Tips

• Adding salt while grinding helps to make a fine powder or paste of the ingredients without having to add water. 
• When using this spice mix in your daily cooking, skip salt or add minimum salt after tasting.  You will get an idea of the amount of salt needed after cooking a couple of times.
• Do not store the mix in a metal container as the salt will corrode the metal.  Ideally, it is stored in chinaware, but Tupperware or food-grade airtight plastic containers should also do.

Of Admissions Consulting

Yesterday morning, I received a long-pending testimonial from one of my old clients who has gone to Harvard. The message was personal; so, I’m not going to repeat it here. What I do want to mention is a phrase he used – ‘Life Mentor’ – that reinforces the one thing I’ve always believed about being an admissions consultant.

Ours is a queer and demanding profession. For six months a year, and arguably, the most happening six months for an Indian (July to January), we forget everything. Family and personal commitments take a backseat resulting in missed holidays, rushed festivals, skipped meals, shortened storytelling sessions, and not to forget, the perpetually postponed beautician appointments J We plunge headlong into the mad rush of one deadline after another, innumerable brainstorming and strategizing calls, editing of countless documents, and fact finding and researching on numerous programs, universities, and professions. Nearly every season, we think, “That’s it! Next year, we’ll do something else!” But we still carry on beating all odds, working round the clock, living a lopsided life, prioritizing ‘clients’ above all.

Then, why? What makes us carry on year after year, dreading the ‘peak season,’ waiting for it to get over, and then missing it when it is actually over?

Sure, we work for money! But money alone cannot motivate the overcoming of such challenges as we do every year. Speaking for myself, there are three answers to this.

There are very few professions that give a person the ability to touch other lives in the deepest, most tangible ways. Ours is one of those. We deal with dreams. And we make them come true. We help people find their truest voice, uncover their greatest strengths, and take them where they want to be. It can be an undergraduate degree when they create for themselves a launch-pad for greater success; a research program through which they are capacitated for original contributions to any field of their choice; or advancement programs through which they build skills and knowledge that will take them to greater heights or on a new path they want to chalk for themselves. We stimulate thought and action and map them to the right direction, ensuring they are set for the success they have dreamt of. It is the attitude of the admissions consultant that makes all the difference here. You have the opportunity to be a ‘life mentor’ – as my client mentions J - and for me, that is the greatest motivation of all in being an admissions consultant.

The second reason – learning. Yes, it is perhaps the only profession where you get to learn about all other professions! The Arts, the Sciences, Engineering, Technology, Commerce, Management, and all the diversified interdisciplinary domains there are. We guide actors and directors, economists and scientists, leaders and path-breakers, social activists and entrepreneurs  – in that phase of their careers when they are waiting for their potential to unfurl and begin their journeys to their cherished goals. But that is not all. We learn about people and from people – enthusiastic youngsters, seasoned professionals, passionate researchers, men and women, dreamers, lost souls, and focused achievers. We deal with them all. We learn about cultures and nations. We learn about vocations, ambitions, and ideals.  We learn to articulate and to listen. And we grow in myriad ways (apart from sideways, in our chair, of course).

The third reason – challenges. (With due respect to all men in the profession), most admissions consultants are women! Does that say something? Yes, the gender that thrives on challenges of the most complex kinds. Those who know to push their limits, reach outside their comfort zone to bring out the best in themselves, multitask profusely both mentally and physically, be decisive under the most trying of circumstances, and nurture others. That’s admissions consulting for you! When twenty-four hours of the day are not enough and you got to decide between masala dosa or cheese sandwich (the latter giving you half an hour extra to finish one essay), a naamkaran ceremony or half-day picnic (where you can wear your jeans and carry your laptop or at least finish one brainstorming session!), and the children’s park or a badminton match (obviously the former because then you can think of your next application strategy while your child plays). But that’s not all! You have your clients – the ones who don’t talk and the ones who talk too much, the ones who can’t write and the ones who send 5-pagers for 100 words, the ones who don’t know a thing and the ones who know it all; and, the ‘best’ part, the nosy parents and the NRI sisters. For each one, you have a different strategy and it must come to you in the blink of an eye. Because there is just no time!

In sum, an admissions consultant is your ‘nutty professor’ – by which I mean she is going nuts herself but still knows to guide you with composure and tact. She is your mentor, sounding board, and jack of all trades, literally (aspiring to be your master….ahem, just saying!)

So there! Having said all that, I realize I have just had a cathartic moment! Now I feel so much better and well prepared for the coming season J Let’s rejoice then and believe that we are a lucky lot. Our job is tough but our job is more rewarding than many others. We see, we learn, we grow. With every season, we become better. And as we shape other lives, we shape ourselves too – becoming fiercer and stronger, versatile and focused, empathetic and energetic (and not to forget – more apple-shaped or pear-shaped, as the case may be).

Before I conclude, in case you’re wondering what Po and Shifu are doing in my post, that’s what my client calls me – the Shifu to his Po – and that’s no less than the crown of lifetime achievement sitting ‘fat’ on my head (though I have no intention of retiring anytime, soon or late)!

What’s your take on admissions consulting?

The Pursuit of Making Shoes Taking Myriad Shapes

Can the intricate winding streets of an Indian metropolis carve the career of an explorer? How can a city that has been the focus of the satirical outpourings of numerous authors become the fancy of an archetypal small-townie? The quest for the answers to these questions can be cut short if one turns his or her attention to the journey of Pooja Thakur, CEO, Praefinio Footwear. 

It was a little, brightly-coloured radio in a colourful cover that caught my attention as I sat next to Pooja, elegantly perched on a couch in her home in an army cantonment, away from the cacophony of the metropolis. The second thing that caught my attention was a shell, which she told me she had collected from a beach long ago. I concluded my observation with the realisation that hoarding antiques was one of her favourite leisure activities. As we sat discussing the invaluable endnotes and the creative dexterity of Chiragh-e-Dair (The Lamp of the Temple), one of Ghalib’s long epochal poems, she sipped her tea thoughtfully and plunged into a reverie, going back in time to 2016, when she began her journey of designing shoes with just two shoe-makers.
Without a degree in footwear designing to fall back upon, the only thing she had to go by was the numerous pairs of shoes she had bought as part of her preliminary research, to dissect and observe their anatomy. Adding to her woes was the distance that she had to cover frequently between wherever her husband was stationed to her prospective factory. Her travails eventually paid off when she established a manufacturing unit in Delhi with twenty workers that produced footwear for almost all major e-commerce portals for children such as hopscotch.com, firstcry, and babycouture.

Her first brand was a sole-less shoe for infants called Bootie Pie. “Kids usually absorb the world through images. Hence, I wanted to make something that would engage and hold  kids’ attention while being affordable for their parents.” She recalled how as a child, all she did was drawing and painting. “I vividly recall my favourite characters from stories such as Peter Pan, Matilda, Heidi, and The Secret Garden only through their caricatured imagery. I aspire to bring this unique imaginative quality of children and its delicate nature into the entire range of my footwear.” She confesses that she felt deterred on several occasions when she had to wander about alone late on dark winter nights to collect sampling material for shoes from unsafe, ghetto-like localities, while her own home in a distant cantonment waited for her lifelessly. Today, as she launches a new brand of footwear called Pabla for kids, all these recollections bring a smile to her face.
Pooja’s road to being an established children’s shoe manufacturer now begins with sketching random designs, synchroninsing her idea of a pair of shoes with that of a shoe-maker, extending to copy-writing taglines for her brands and attending unplanned meetings with buyers. She confides with a child-like smile, “My grocery lists at home often end up becoming my idea journals for my shoe designs.” 

Apart from her work and the passion of collecting antiques, painting still occupies most of Pooja’s leisure time. This was evident from her paintings ranging from scenes at a fish market in a coastal town to the profound face of Buddha in meditation that adorn the walls of her home. She adds, “I am a quintessential small-townie and love accumulating designs and colours from small markets, preserving pickle and papad recipes inherited from mothers and cooking at home. Art to me dwells in the colourful paraphernalia of the small towns and villages of our country.” Does she have any favourite small-town markets? “Difficult to choose one, but I like Aminabad in Lucknow, Kinari Bazaar in Agra, Lakkar Bazaar in Shimla and the likes,” she adds quickly. 

She reverts to being her meditative self, emphasising that the privileged section of society should realise the significance of giving back to the economically weaker sections. Earlier, her efforts were confined to the welfare of her workforce, but now she has decided to focus them on financing the education of as many girl children as possible. I tried to delve into further details, but she was reluctant to reply because of her belief that an act of kindness should always be silent. Elaborating a little, however, she said, “I draw my inner strength from my hard-working and dedicated team who work non-stop during tough phases of production. To honour their perseverance, I started a salary system of payment in my unit because there is usually no salary system for the unorganised workforce in our country.”

And who or what is the inspiration behind her zen-like attitude while she handles the crazy commotion of the production floor and the demands of being an army wife? This has always been her father and her husband, she replies-- while the former always believed in her dreams and ideas of doing good for others, the latter stood by her unfailingly through all the ups and downs, every peak and trough, of her journey. 

“Our duties transcend us and develop a heightened awareness about our capabilities”, she concludes like a Tao monk.  

About the Author

Gunjan Joshi is a Delhi-based editor of a monthly, a part-time columnist, and an art and literature critic. An ardent lover of books and nature in general (and the Himalayas, in particular),  she admires classics in every form.  Bliss for her is psithurism emanating from old Deodar trees, reading a fine literary journal in a quaint village in coniferous surroundings and a display of archaic military chivalry.

NOTE:

This article is a reader contribution and all views and opinions in the article are those of the writer alone.  Other readers who may be interested in contributing to this blog may mail their articles with a short biography and a profile pic to left.right.tcenter@gmail.com.  The right to publication rests with the blog owners.

May 1: International Labour Day

“If the workers took a notion they could stop all speeding trains; Every ship upon the ocean they can tie with mighty chains. Every wheel in the creation, every mine and every mill; Fleets and armies of the nation, will at their command stand still.

“There is power in a band of working men, when they stand, hand in hand. That’s a power that must rule in every land.”

Joe Hill

May 1 is marked as International Labour Day, also referred to as May Day. It celebrates the struggles of the working class and the efforts of labour unions. Labour Day is an annual public holiday in many countries. In India, Labour Day is referred as AntarrashtriyaShramikDiwas or Kamgar Dinand was first celebrated here in the year 1923.

It is also referred as International Workers' Day or just Workers’ Day. 

For most countries, Labour Day is synonymous with, or linked with International Workers’ Day which occurs on 1^st of May. For other countries, Labour Day is celebrated on a different date, often one with special significance for the labour movement in that country.

For example, this year China is celebrating May 5 as International Labour Day as May 5 happens to be the birth date of Karl Marx, who propounded the economic theory of labour and capital so closely associated with communism.  In Canada and the United States, this holiday is celebrated on the first Monday of September and is generally considered as the unofficial end of the sunny days, with summer holidays ending and students returning to school around then.

Labour Day is a glorious holiday because your child will be going back to school the next day. It would have been called Independence Day, but that name was already taken.

Bill Dodds

During industrialisation, in beginning of the 19th century, the industrialists used to exploit the labour class and made them work for up to 15 hours a day. The workers rose against this exploitation and demanded paid leaves, proper wages and workday breaks for the workforce.

The eight-hour day labour movement advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest. The Labour Day annually celebrates the achievements of the workers.  

While the day has a different significance in different countries, the main reason for Labour Day is unfair treatment of the labour class.

What does labour want? We want more schoolhouses and less jails; more books and less arsenals; more learning and less vice; more leisure and less greed; morejustice and less revenge; in fact, more of the opportunities to cultivate our better natures.

Workingmen are at the foundation of society. Show me that product of human endeavor in the making of which the workingman has had no share, and I will show you something that society can well dispense with.

Samuel Gompers

Labour is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labour, and could never have existed if labour had not first existed.Labour is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration.

Abraham Lincoln

 

May 1 was chosen to be International Workers' Day to commemorate the 1886 Haymarket affair in Chicago. In that year, on May 1, there was a general strike for the eight-hour workday. On May 4, the police acted to disperse a public assembly in support of the strike when an unidentified person threw a bomb. The police responded by firing on the workers. The event led to several deaths.The incident is remembered as the Haymarket Affair, or the Haymarket Massacre.

International Workers’ Day was officially recognized in 1889 at the International Socialist Congress in Paris to commemorate the Haymarket Affair.  Following more violent protests in the US, the Socialist Congress of 1904 made it mandatory to stop work on May Day, calling on“all Social-Democratic Party organizations and trade unions of all countries to demonstrate energetically on May First for the legal establishment of the 8-hour day, for the class of the proletariat, and for universal peace.”

Workers of the world awaken. Break your chains, demand your rights. All the wealth you make is taken, by exploiting parasites. Shall you kneel in deep submission from your cradle to your grave.Is the height of your ambition to be a good and willing slave?

Labour Day or May Day has been a focal point of protests by various socialist and communist groups and is an important holiday in communist countries like China, North Korea, Cuba and the former Soviet Union countries.

 

Here’s wishing that you are finding happiness and satisfaction in the work that you do. Happy Labour Day, everyone! (particularly, housewives)

This day is a reminder to housewives not to despair.  Do not lose hope thinking that this world does not remember you and your endless slaving (Labour by any other name would still mean the same, right?).  Here is a whole, entire day, actually a holiday, dedicated to you.  It’s celebrated all over the world in honour of workers and their right to the eight-hour workday.  So stand up (no, actually sit down) for your right to rest, relax and recharge.It’s a reminder every year that 

“There is power in a band of working (wo)men, when they stand, hand in hand. (when they sit with their feet up). That’s a power that must rule in every land.”

Let’s paraphrase (with due apologies to Joe Hill):

If housewives took a notion they could stop all their speeding husbands; Every office upon the earth they can tie with mighty chains. Every wheel in the creation, every mine and every mill; Fleets and armies of the nation, will at their command stand still.

So come on!  You only need to believe in yourselves and take the notion.  Any takers?

Image credits:

destinyconnect.com

hiveminer.com 

freepressjournal.com

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Source: Pinterest.com

Possessing a great love for travelling, I have always wondered what seasoned or frequent travellers do on long-haul flights. Though I have been flying since I was a month-old (so my mother tells me), this is a puzzle I am yet to solve. I have tried almost everything one can think of and nothing holds my interest for long while flying. I am an avid reader but I get easily distracted while reading on a flight. I love music but seem unable to keep my air-pods on while sailing in the clouds. At one time, I solved crosswords but it made my ‘better-half' cross! Watching films was fun too but I would simply fall asleep halfway through. While, on the other hand, if I planned to catch up on my sleep one day, then I could be sure of not even catching 40 winks! 

Conversing with fellow passengers is another option I attempted but with my luck, I mostly found the most boring/boorish or outright rude people seated next to me. Once, I even tried to eat my way through the flight but ended up feeling nauseous and so gave that up soon enough. For a while, I tried my hand at in-flight photography but friends and relatives got sick of seeing endless pictures of clouds of various shapes and sizes on my social media account. Sometimes, I try to get some work done but handling a laptop in cramped economy-class seating is a feat in itself. 

Source: Shutterstock

When my kids were still ‘kids’, even though they drove me crazy, at least their antics helped to pass time. Initially, one kept them occupied with games like chess or Uno. However, when they reached their teens, they found their own means of entertainment (Read: cell-phones and tablets), and so wanted to be left to their own ‘devices’ (pun intended); parents were expected to mind their own business and hopefully even be seated separately, lest we embarrassed them! Gone were the days of Antakshari and Atlas and I was back to being bored!

Recently, I asked some friends at a party for ideas on this issue and they came up with quite a few; some of which I had already tried and some which I probably never would. One suggested I file and paint my nails; another suggested that I try giving myself a mid-air facial and then put on a face pack for about 30 minutes. She added that it would not only improve my skin’s glow but also help pass time. A third one even told me to flirt with fellow passengers; she said it was great for the mid-life blues!  

Sick and tired of all these ‘trials and errors’, I have now decided to henceforth simply sit back, look at the clouds as they float by, and philosophize about life in general. At this rate, a few more flights and, rest assured, I will be Guruma Rohini! A scary prospect to say the least! So readers, why don’t you share your thoughts on how you spend your time on flights? Is there anything quirky or fun or maybe, even useful that you do while flying? Do leave your comments; maybe someone would solve this problem for me once and for all!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rohini Razdan is a qualified journalist, copy writer and editor, who writes articles in her leisure time.  She has had a passion for the English language and the written word from early on. Her other interests include reading, travelling, films, music, poetry and exploring the human psyche.  She considers herself a moderate, liberal humanist.

NOTE:

This article is a reader contribution and all views and opinions in the article are those of the writer alone.  Other readers who may be interested in contributing to this blog may mail their articles with a short biography and a profile pic to left.right.tcenter@gmail.com.  The right to publication rests with the blog owners.

Mahavira: The Great Conqueror

In the 5^th-6^th century BC, there arose in India a powerful school of thought/philosophy, which, according to many historians, owed its origin to the opposition of the common people to the way the Hindu religion was being practised at the time.   It had become a stronghold of the priestly class or the Brahmins who reigned supreme in all matters of religion.  Religion had been reduced to a mere practice of meaningless and expensive rituals, mantras uttered in upper-class Sanskrit which the common man could neither understand nor afford.  It failed to offer any mental peace, moral succour or solace to the soul and was just a rigid set of do’s and don’ts which the Brahmins had made themselves authorities of, and which they used at will to make themselves wealthy and powerful.  Values such as kindness, truthfulness, honesty, doing good to your fellow beings had no place in the religion they preached.

Against this backdrop, arose a thinker and philosopher who spoke the language of the common man, did not hesitate to mingle with him, and gave understandable answers to moral dilemmas faced in daily life.  This was Mahavira (the great hero) who seemed to have conquered everything within.  Ordinary people, common men and women, flocked to listen to his sermons wherever he went.  He appealed to the goodness inherent in all men as he preached kindness to all living things.  He called it ahimsa or non-violence.  Practice ahimsa mindfully, in thought, word and deed, even to the invisible microbes in the air around.  One must respect the sanctity and dignity of others, he said, just as one expects one’s own sanctity and dignity to be respected.  Practice Satya (truth).  Always be truthful towards yourself, towards others. Practice Asteya, don’t take anything which has not been given to you.  Practice Brahmacharya, faithfulness to your partner if you are married, and abstinence from sex if you are a monk or a holy man.  And lastly, practice Aparigraha, ie work at developing an attitude of non-attachment to worldly things, money, property.  If you practiced these five things to the extent of vows, this was religion.   More than anything else, he preached self-discipline, a constant cleansing of the soul, which leads to spiritual development and release from the cycle of birth and death.  The aim/goal of practising these five vows was to set oneself free from this cycle, attain Nirvana.   In short, enlightenment, to Mahavira, came from self-realisation, self-cultivation and self-restraint.   What he preached was simplicity personified….but as we all know, it’s the simple things that are the hardest to practice.  

Who was he?  He was born 540 years before Christ (which means to say, sixty years before human history was even recorded in the West), on the thirteenth day of the rising moon in Chaitra which is March-April of the Gregorian calendar.  This day is celebrated as his birthday, Mahavir Jayanti, by his followers or Jains, so-named after their lord who is called Jina, the great conqueror.  He was born a prince, the son of King Siddharth and Queen Trishala in the kingdom of Videha, which roughly corresponds to Bihar in modern-day India.  Interestingly, the king and queen were descendants of the Ikshvaku dynasty.  This is the same dynasty to which Lord Vishnu was born as Rama and to which Buddha was also born.    He renounced his princely life and left home in his late twenties in search of the truth.  He lived the life of an ascetic for the next 12 years practicing severe penances until he attained Keval Jnan (omniscient truth).  He preached Jainism for 30 years and, according to some historians, was a contemporary of the Buddha.  He had followers among Kings and common people alike; the rulers of the ancient kingdoms of Magadha, Anga and Videha all gave up Hinduism to follow his precepts.  He is said to have died at the age of 72, in a place called Pawapuri, also in Bihar, which is a place of pilgrimage for Jains from the world over.  His life is considered a spiritual light and the night of his nirvana is commemorated by Jains as Diwali, the same time that Hindus celebrate their festival of lights.

Mahavira is best remembered in the Indian traditions for his teaching that ahimsa is the greatest moral virtue of all.  He taught that ahimsa covers all living things and injuring any being in any form whatsoever, affects one's rebirth, future wellbeing, and the extent of one’s suffering.  Centuries later, Mahatma Gandhi, and following in Gandhi’s footsteps, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela adopted ahimsa as their guiding principle, following which they led entire nations and peoples to liberation from oppression, without recourse to armed struggle.  He taught us that before we can hope to conquer what lies outside, we must first look deep inside and conquer what’s within.  

Mahavira proclaimed in India that religion is a reality and not a mere social convention.   It is really true that salvation cannot be had by merely observing external ceremonies.  Religion cannot make any difference between man and man. (Rabindranath Tagore)

It never ceases to amaze me that all this was propounded in our country before history, before  time itself, was chronicled in the West.  Truly, we need to stop and take stock of who we are, how far we have come and which way we are headed.   

Image credits:  wikipedia.org

The Nostalgia of the Bengali New Year

Poila Boishakh, the hailing of the Bengali New Year, stands out very clearly in my mind for a number of reasons. The first one of these is my beloved grandmother who is no more. Dida was close to 80 then and very averse to social outings. This one day in the year, however, marked an exception. She would put on her best sari, those retro style cat-eye spectacles, and with the age-old red British purse dangling on her forearm, head out to join the festivities with me in tow in a crisp new frock.  This is my fondest memory of the day, one that I miss to date.

Historically, the unique Bengali calendar is a mix of the Hindu solar and Hijri lunar calendars. It was instituted by Emperor Akbar in 1584 to ease the process of paying taxes that fell out of the harvest season earlier.

For us Bengalis, Poila Boishakh means many things - art, culture, religion, food, and family. One can even consider it as an abridged version of Bengal’s signature festival, the Durga Puja, celebrated in autumn.

Preparations for Poila Boishakh start at least a month ahead. On the eve of New Year, also known as Chaitra Sankranti, Bengalis flock the Kalighat temple thanking the Goddess for the previous year and seeking blessings for the new one. And then spring cleaning happens in peak summer! New dresses are bought, jewelry showrooms are overcrowded. The harmoniums come out of their cases and rehearsals start in full swing. The menu for the day is discussed and re-discussed. On the streets, shopkeepers and business owners get busy with their new bright red ‘haal khata’ (accounting books), clearing debts and loans of the previous year and launching new ventures. Boxes of sweets and snacks along with new Bengali calendars are stacked and rolled in shop corners to be distributed free for faithful patrons and new customers who visit on the auspicious occasion.

Nowadays, when we discuss Poila Boishakh, my mother often tells me that “things have changed” in Kolkata. Thankfully, I haven’t seen those changes and can only reminisce the way we celebrated this new beginning every year. I remember starting the day very early. Probhat pheri and Rabindra Sangeet would ring in the dawn. While the elders would be gone to take a holy dip in the Ganges, we would rush to the balcony with sleepy eyes to watch the long processions of professional and amateur singers and dancers draped in traditional attires (those white garad saris with red borders or handloom cottons with broad colourful checks and men in dhuti-panjabi), some in elaborate performance costumes, wearing flower garlands and gold and pearl jewelry. Folk songs and the tune of “Esho Hey Boishakh” not only welcomed the New Year but anticipated the birth celebrations of our greatest inspiration, Tagore, whose birthday falls on 25th of Boishakh. My favourite task, however, was putting alpona (rangoli) on the thresholds of all rooms (except the thakur ghor or pooja room that was my grandmother’s domain) with a small piece of cloth dipped in a ground, grainy paste of rice. My cousin sister would accompany me often on this task and we would compete as to who staked claim on how many rooms! Don’t ask me how the designs turned out to be in the end :-)

Coming to the most interesting part – food! The kitchen would naturally be the busiest place on this day.  The bronze and silver cookware would be shined anew. My mother would lead the little battalion of domestic helps to prepare the grand feast. Breakfast would usually be luchi (poori) and the spicy aloor dom (potato gravy) or the sweetish cholar daal (chana dal curry). Later in the day, heavenly aromas of aam porar shorbot (raw mango drink), sweet pulao, shorshe ilish (Hilsa with mustard sauce), chingri macher malaikari (prawn curry), and of course, the un-missable mishti doi (sweet curd) in the clay container would make us hungrier than usual. The shukto - gravy with potato, bitter gourd, raw banana, brinjal, drumstick, and bori (dried lentil dumpling) - would make its appearance too. Sometimes, luchi would be served with kosha mangsho (semi-gravy mutton) for lunch. Not to forget the rosogolla, rajbhog, and sandesh with ‘poila boishakh’ engraved on them.

The telephone would ring constantly with friends and relatives wishing ‘subho noboborsho’ as we got ready to welcome them home, participate in cultural programmes, and pay a visit to the nearby Kali bari to worship Lakshmi and Ganesha placed in small cane baskets.

Today, as I sit hundreds of kilometers away from my hometown celebrating Ugadi (New Year in Karnataka), I realize how significant my Bengali traditions were in making my childhood a very happy one.  Those who are still lucky to be in Kolkata, tell us what has changed and what hasn’t!

Image credit: http://www.scratchingcanvas.com

Lunisolar New Year /Bihu

Bihu , Assamese New Year, is the chief festival of Assam.  It is a set of three different festivals, Rongali or Bohag observed in the Gregorian month of April, Kongali or Kati Bihu observed in October, and Bhogali or Magh Bihu observed in December, of which Rongali Bihu is considered to be the most important one celebrating the new year and spring.  Bhogali Bihu or Magh Bihu is all about food while Kongali Bihu or Kati Bihu reflects a season of short supplies (Kongali meaning poverty).

By Rex86 

Montage of Asamiya Cultural Symbols: Jaapi, Bihu dance, Saraai (Xorai), Bihu Dhol, Gamosa.

The word Bihu is originally derived from the Sanskrit word ‘bishu’, which means to ask for prosperity from the Gods during important junctures of the harvest season. It is commonly believed that the festival received its name from two different words – “bi” which means to ask, and “hu” which means to give.

By Diganta Talukdar - 

Youth perform the Bihu dance on the occasion of Rongali Bihu festival

Rongali Bihu or Bohag Bihu is a month-long festival with seven phases and hence is called Xaat (seven) Bihu.  It  starts with Raati Bihu performed on the first night of Chot and marks the beginning of a month-long season of festivities and nightly performances in open fields illuminated by burning torches, meant to be a gathering for local women.  The presence of men is only ceremonial wherein they played the pepa, a buffalo hornpipe, or bholuka baanhor toka which is a split bamboo musical instrument.

By Hiranmoy Boruah - 

Bathing and worshipping cows (Goru bihu) is a part of the Bihu celebrations.

The last day of Chot month is celebrated as Goru (Cow) Bihu with ritual bathing of livestock using a paste of symbolic herbs like black gram and turmeric paste, whipped dighloti  (litsea salicifolia), makhioti (flemingia strobilifera), tonglati (a plant with flower like soft plastic butter-fly) and pieces of bottle gourd and brinjal.  After the bath, the livestock are decorated with new harnesses and garlands.  People sing the following passage: "Dighloti dighal paat, maakhi marru jaat jaat; lau khaa bengena khaa, bosore bosore bardhi jaa, maare xaru baapere xoru toi hobi bor bor goru" . This is roughly translated as : "With our herbs and the leaves of dighloti, we drive away the flies which disturb you; we hope you accept our offering of brinjals and gourds, and continue to grow every year; and may you outgrow your parents". After washing the cattle, the remaining branches of dighloti-makhioti are hung on the roof of the cattle ranch signifying their participation.

By Woodlouse from Brighton, UK 

Girls celebrating the spring Bihu (April) festival.

The first day of Visakh month (the day after Goru Bihu) is celebrated as Manuh (human) Bihu.  On this day, humans bathe with a paste of similar items that were used to bathe cattle on Goru Bihu, wear new clothes, seek blessings of elders and exchange gifts such as Gamusa.  A Gamusa is an indispensable part of Assamese life and culture with its distinctive symbolic significance. The intricacy of its handcrafting symbolically represents ideas of friendship, love, regards, warmth, hospitality that are intimately woven into the social fabric of Assam.

By Kangkan.it2004 - 

The key musical instruments - Dhol, Pepa and Taal used during Bihu song / dance.

The next day is celebrated as Gosai (God's) Bihu.  On this day, people clean up theirs homes and worship God for a fruitful and prosperous year ahead.  This is followed by kutum (family) Bihu. This is the time to visit friends and kinsfolk and exchange news and stories over meals.  Then comes the Mela (fair) Bihu.  The highlight of Mela Bihus is organisation of cultural events and competitions at outdoor locales.  In the ancient days, the King and his staff used to come out to such fairs or bihutolis to mingle in the Bihu celebrations. This tradition of events is continued till date with Bihu Melas or Bihu functions. The fairs are attended by people from all over Assam and are aimed at fostering an atmosphere of communal brotherhood and the inclusion of everyone.

By Nayansatya 

Manda Pitha

The final day is the Chera Bihu, also called Bohagi Bidai, Phato Bihu. In different regions of Assam, people celebrate it differently but the common theme is wrapping up the celebrations with contemplation and future resolutions. It is marked by the exchange of Pithas (rice cakes) made by different families during the Bihu week among their friends and relatives.