My ideas

Kumror Chokka As a child , I never quite liked the idea of bringing a tiffin box to school. That same old roti - sabji bored me real quick. Maa did put some effort to spice things up with an occasional chowmein or French toast, but the very idea of home - cooked food for lunch seemed to be so dull !! Rather the savoury smell of singhara, ghoogni and luchi - aloo dum from the school canteen hypnotised me. But, considering the nominal amount of pocket money I used to get ( being an extremely fat kid , one of the many ways my parents conspired to control my eating habits ), in contrast to my abundant appetite, rarely was I able to content myself. Right from that moment, a little girl aspired to become independent. Earn money, spend it on eating out and let everyone be at peace. That is what I looked forward to the most , while moving out of my homely comforts. Ohh! how I dreamt of waking up late , sipping on to a hot cup of coffee, leave for office, have some lunch from tha

Titar Daal, the bitter happiness Poila Baishak , celebrated as the first day of the Bengali calender has always been special to all of us, Bengalis. The early morning queues in front of Kalighat and Dakshineshwar temples praying for the Mother's grace and peace along with the pujo of the new ledger haal khata by all Bengali businessmen remains a tradition. My memories of Bengali New Year's are the sweetest .. literally speaking ( bear in mind the varieties of sondesh, roshogolla and doi which a Bengali can gorge upon on this special day ). The day reminds me of Baba who would come home with multiple new Bengali calendars having colourful pictures of gods and goddesses and the mandatory mishtir baksho ( box of sweets) as gifts from the local fish and egg vendors in his bazaarer jhola . It is this day, when all the traders would meticulously clean every nooks and corners later decorating their shops with marigold flowers, send out invites to all their old and new

Niramish Lau - er Ghonto While on vacations whoever we meet ( especially those from the western world ) often envy the sunny, clear blue skies, a patent of the tropical climate of India. Something which we have known since a child, " Grass always seems greener on the other side " seems so true now. Because starting from mid March and continued till October when the scorching sun on the streets leave us dehydrated, the snow - laden mountains is what we can only hallucinate when we open the freezer door and wait for that cold puff to hit us right on the face. Summers in different parts of our country are as diversified as our motherland's culture and traditions. One will be dripping wet because of the extreme humidity in the coastal areas while the dry dusty hot winds in the capital plays with the cooling mechanism of the body giving you heatstroke. Naturally taking care of your diet becomes a matter of prime importance during these days. Vegetables like kumro

Kaanta - Chocchori While growing up, I would spend most of  my Sunday mornings accompanying Baba to Jadu babu's bazaar ( the local market in Bhowanipore ) to stock up on the weekly ration of fresh vegetables and fishes. Its the Sunday mornings when the fish markets are the busiest with all Bangali babus ( babu - that's what the vendors call out a Bengali male) carrying a bazaarer jhola ( a bag specifically for carrying market produce ) bargaining hard for the best lot of Maach , their staple . You need to visit a fish market early morning in Kolkata, at least once in your lifetime, to understand the passion which a Bangali shares for this protein. This is a place which a typical Kolkatan will prefer even today, to get their fair share of fresh fishes instead of the frozen pre - cut  pieces  in the comfort of centrally air - conditioned multi - storeyed shopping malls. Amazing variants of fishes like Rohu, Catla, Koi, Kachki, Magur, Mourola, Shol, Bhetki, Bele, Ta