Mother...&...Durga Puja!!

Every year, as the year starts, I ardently wish for autumn, the season that brings the Durga puja. There is a special connection between me and the Durga puja: it binds me and my mother together and makes us a team, which seldom happens throughout the year (she can be a bit (not really) highly dogmatic at times! Sigh!).

My mother, in all sense, is a culture freak. During my childhood days, she put me into a culture school, where I had to learn music, recitation, art and dance. Those classes were quite a burden for me because I had no clue why my mother (all of a sudden) was forcing me to take those classes.

But as time passed, as I got to know myself, I figured out that those classes were my mother’s legacies, her gift to me. She wanted me to have a part of herself, to learn the values she has gathered over the years.

After all these years, as I stand in my early years of adulthood, I know with certainty that no matter where I stay, no matter where I go, her gift will give me the strength to fight, to endure and, after all is over, to come back home, to her.

Durga Puja 2012 (Part 2)

The promised pictures. Enjoy!

Mudiali Shib Mandir
Theme: Adivashi (tribal culture)

Suruchi Sangha
The theme: create awareness about Goa's water pollution
and beach pollution due to fishing and tourism

Dead fish carcass (Not real but a work of art)

An Octopus hanging from the ceiling

Mohammad Ali Park
Theme: Replica of the Johannesburg stadium.

Mohammad Ali Park is famous of it's "Ek Chalai Thakur"
which means "All the Gods and Goddesses on the same frame"

Nalin Sarkar Street (I loved this pandal)

The entrance to the pandal
Did you notice the unique goemetry of the gates?

Charkha (Used for weaving Cotton clothes)

On entering this pandal, I noticed that there were
no idols of Ganesh, Saraswati , Lakshmi and kartik.
 Then my mother brought my attention towards
 The Stick that Devi Durga was holding in her right hand.
 The idols of Ganesh, Saraswati , Lakshmi and kartik were sculpted on the stick
The reason being that Devi Durga's strength is in her children. Her children are her source of power. And every year she comes accompanied by her children's to destroy the evil forces.

Devi Durga's feets

Kumartuli

Idol of Baba Loknath imparting an atmosphere of peace
and serenity

                                           
Stay tune for more pictures!
P.S:- This pictures are taken by me. For more pictures, visit: Kolkata at its Best (part-2)                                          

Give me a break!

There are some serious misconceptions regarding the day, 9^th January, 2011, the day I fell down from my window, on the fourth floor, of my building. 

If you guys are thinking, I tried committed suicide. Well! No! I love my life too much to consider ending it. In fact, I have plans to travel the world, to see the Vatican, the pacific, the African forest. So, I am not dying anytime soon!

But people never stop talking. Even when they have no idea regarding the matter. During my accident, I learnt great many things about people. There are some who really cares. And there are some, not really "some", quite a "handful", who pretend to care only to stab me at the back.

I had my share of experiences with the later. Yesterday afternoon, my grandmother called my brother. I heard her shouting at my brother. So, I silently asked him to put the phone on loudspeaker. It was quite evident, she was angry with my brother. According to her, I am a wrong influence on him. What really broke the straw are her words “Don’t listen to your sister! She is mad! Otherwise, she would not have jumped from the fourth floor!”

After my accident, people have talked bad things about me. They have sometimes termed me as a loser, who tried to end her life. Sometimes they have called me mad! It mattered at first. There harsh cruel words were like thorns against my heart.  After a certain point, it did not matter. But, yesterday, when I heard those words from my grandmother, I was unknowingly hurt. I thought she trusted me enough to believe that I would never do something like that. But my only mistake was I trusted her way too much. At least, I got to know what she really thinks about me.

I could have shouted at her. She would have been startled. But, I remained quiet, knowing that no matter what I do, I can never change people's opinions of me.

Energy shots for a better life

At times, it does not hurt to take a little bit of boast from the outside world. Well! These pictures are my energy shots when my heart and morale get plummeted because of an approaching hurdle or a failure.

Hope, I helped someone with this post!

I follow this quote word to word. After all,
where is the pleasure in a fight without an opponent?

Oh! love this! how true! If only we learn to stand up every time we fall, there won't be any sad faces left on Earth!

I always tell this to my dad!
He has this stupid habit of waiting for things to happen!
arrrrrgggghhhh!

Aaahhh Dreams!! The elixir of life!

Very true!

Adventures are what makes life worthwhile! The journey may be difficult
but the end always holds the cornucopia filled with pleasure and satisfaction!

I try not to hate but I fail! I have to change myself soon!

My other name should have been "mistake" as I have made
so many in my life! But I am happy! I know they make me strong!

Yes! Indeed!

When sadness engulfs you, touch your heart..feel the beats...
That is enough a reason to live<3

P.S: These pictures are not taken by me. I have collected them from the net. 

Chicken Croquettes Recipe (Indian Style)

~Ingredients~
500 grams minced chicken (boiled)
2 small onions (made into paste)

2 tsp Garlic paste

1 tsp Ginger paste

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp peppercorns

1 red chilli

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 inch cinnamon

1 clove

2 tsp turmeric powder

1.5 tsp parsley (made into paste) or dry parsley leaves

0.5 tsp lemon juice

100 grams bread crumbs

2 eggs

Salt and sugar to taste

~Procedure~

1) Take a frying pan and sauté the spices except the garlic, ginger pastes and turmeric powder for few minutes until you get a pleasant roasted aroma. After, the spice mixture cools down, grind it.

2) Take the minced chicken and add to it the boiled potatoes. Knead it thoroughly. To the chicken-potato mixture, add ginger paste, garlic paste, onion paste, parsley paste, lemon juice, roasted spice mixture, turmeric powder, salt and sugar(as per individual preference). Knead the mixture thoroughly and make it into dough. Now, make medium croquette shaped chicken balls from the mixture and keep it aside.

3) Take a bowl and break the eggs. Add a pinch of salt and sugar, mix well. Now, dip the chicken balls one by one in the egg batter and roll them on the bread crumbs.

4) Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the chicken croquettes until brown, 5 to 8 minutes per side.

5) Sprinkle some fresh coriander and serve hot with tomato ketchup or any other sauces.

My life's motto