The man who defined films way ahead of the time: Satyajit Ray

Just like his name, Satyajit Ray’s movies were considered to be cult and way ahead of time.

One of the world’s greatest directors, Satyajit Ray was born on May 2, 1921, in the state of Kolkata. He was from a family prominent in the world of arts and literature. Regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of the 20th-century cinema, Satyajit Ray had a global fan following.

Being India’s first and only Oscar-winning director, Ray started his career as a graphic artist before heading to London to realize his passion for filmmaking. He directed 36 films, including feature films, documentaries, and telly films.

His first film, Pather Panchali (1955), won eleven international prizes, including Best Human Documentary at the Cannes Film Festival and an honorary Academy Award in 1992. Ray was also honored with the Bharat Ratna in 1992 by the Government of India.

Ray is best known for his cult films Pather Panchali, Nayaka, Aranyer Din Ratri, Seemabaddhaa, Charulata, and the Feluda series.

His way of storytelling had a lot to do with emotions and humanity. His craft always showed India in a different light. He was the only Indian to receive an honorary Academy Award.  He strongly believed – “The best technique is the one that’s not noticeable”.

The noble prize winner also composed the score for his movies, wrote, designed (artwork, costumes), directed, painted and was also contemporary in Bengali literature. He was described as “undoubtedly a giant in the film world” by Henri Cartier Bresson and one of “the four greats” by Martin Scorsese. Yet, he is still unknown to many.

People in Hollywood were inspired by Satyajit Ray’s work and also believe that he was destined for Hollywood.

One of the directors whom we respect for his classic “The Godfather”, Francis Ford Coppola series recalled a conversation with Ray after the first installment was out.

“Whenever someone speaks from Kolkata, I remember Satyajit Ray’s call, praising me for ‘Godfather I’. He complimented me particularly for my discovery, Al Pacino, whom he considered the best actor of the 1970s. According to him, Marlon Brando was untouchable in ‘Godfather’. We know of Indian cinema through Ray’s works and, to me, his best is ‘Devi’, a cinematic milestone.”

He might have died in 1992 but his work is still in the hearts of millions and it has been rightly said,

“There are only a few people on this earth who never leaves us,

As their work will be remembered till eternity”  

The Curious Case of adding Aloo to the Meaty Delicacy – Kolkata Biryani

There has been always debate about which is the “BEST BIRYANI” in India. Is it from Hyderabadi or Lucknowi or is it the Kolkata Biryani or Dindigul Biryani the debate never ends. But there is always something special that has attracted me to the Kolkata Biryani. Most of the Biryanis are known for adding chicken & spices as main ingredients, but Kolkata Biryani always adds one more ingredient that is loved by everyone – Aloo (Potato)!

The Kolkata Biryani is not from its native origin but has been originated as sub-variant of Lucknowi Biryani dating back its history to 1856. The Kolkata Biryani was the invention of Nawab of Awadh – Nawab Wajid Ali Shah while he was exiled to Kolkata from his capital. Known for his tastes and indulgences he brought his entire team of bawarchis along with him, but due to the scarcity of funds, they decided to tone down the spices and lower the ratio of chicken by adding potatoes to the biryani.

Kolkata Biryani is exceptionally light on spices and all kinds of meat such as chicken, mutton etc are used based on a yogurt marinade which is cooked separately from light yellow rice and just like Bengali dishes the Biryani has the hint of sweetness in it.

While Kolkata Biryani can be found across Kolkata, the most talked about outlets for the authentic Kolkata Biryani are Aminia, Arsalan and Royal Indian Hotel.

Byomkesh Bakshi – Sherlock Holmes of India

Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay’s most well-known character Byomkesh Bakshi first appeared as a character in the story Satyanweshi. Byomkesh Bakshi, owing to the permission from the police commissioner, starts living in a mess in that area under the pseudonym of Atul Chandra Mitra to probe a series of murders.

Just like Sherlock Holmes has Watson, Byomkesh has Ajit. He almost never discloses his deductions to Ajit till the end – and only drops subtle hints, just like Sherlock Holmes doesn’t tell Watson what’s up till the end.

He maintains good relationships with the police, just like Holmes. He even lets the criminal go sometimes, again, just like Holmes. Just like Holmes, Byomkesh deduces a lot of things from the facts of the case.

However, he doesn’t generally startle people by deducing a lot of things about them by just looking at them. There are also some more differences, for instance – Byomkesh Bakshi has a wife.

But is Byomkesh Bakshi really the Sherlock Holmes of India?

First, let’s take a look at some background.

There are three franchises running simultaneously at present: the film version starring Robert Downey, Jr.; the British TV series, Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch; and the American TV series, Elementary, starring Jonny Lee Miller.

First, the similarities: Bakshy (played with flair by Sushant Singh Rajput) is a fledgling private detective. He helps where the police can’t or won’t. He is a master of disguises. During the story, he acquires a Watson-like sidekick named Ajit (played in a comic turn by Anand Tiwari), who, while not as bright as Bakshy, is a physically strong, sensitive man, and a writer. When Bakshy gets a little over-enthused, Ajit slows him down and acts a little bit like a moral center for the story. Bakshy also acquires an opponent, a super-criminal mastermind known as Yang Guang. Yang is an obvious gloss on Professor Moriarty, although his identity is a mystery, more like Keyser Söze from The Usual Suspects.

But the difference between Bakshy and the three Holmeses is striking: Bakshy isn’t a Pretender “A Pretender is someone who passes a fantasy self over their real personality, a fantasy self-based on a false sense of life. Most Pretenders are not out to engage reality and other people in an open way but instead use them to entertain themselves or to ward off bad feelings”.  Take this as writer/director Dibikar Banerjee’s way of saying “My version of Holmes is an authentic person, not a thrill-seeking user of people.”

It feels like that Bakshy is not perfect: He makes mistakes, but he sees through them and acts to deflect the consequences. He gets a little carried away with his enthusiastic ability to deduce the truth, but he is not trying to feel superior to others and so I would say he is not a Pretender.

So what does it say, can we really take them as the same character being a different variant on the basis of their origin or are they really different. I don’t know, but yeah it is worthwhile to watch and make your own decision.

 

Ki boi chai, bolun, shob achey – BOI PARA

A kilometer-extended length of the street from Ganesh Chandra Avenue Crossing in Bowbazar to Mahatma Gandhi Road is fixed with books on the two sides; the varied accumulation in plain view can allure any specialist of books. A hardcover of Baywatch can be discovered set conveniently by a book on Swami Vivekananda’s chosen addresses. They may even want a similar cost. College Street, one of the biggest second-hand moving markets in India, has an obvious strange appeal to it. Known as Boi Para in Bengali, it is a world in itself that capacities by its very own arrangement of guidelines. There is not all that much or profane, nothing excessively old or new. A standout amongst the most famous center points of Kolkata, College Street isn’t just a stretch of street fixed with book slows down or a focal point of extensive scholarly esteem, yet in addition, a portrayal or rather a reflection of the great culture of Bengal. The biggest second-hand market of books in India, College Street not at all like some other traveler goal is woven in its very own appeal. With a portion of the huge names in the instructive space, for example, the University of Calcutta, Presidency University, Medical College and Hospital, Hindu School, Hare School and Sanskrit College situated here; College Street likewise gets itself mainstream for its huge square Swimming Pool found right in the core of the city.

For somebody raised in Kolkata, College Street implies an excessive number of things. It is one of the streets where you think that its difficult to look forward, in light of the fact that your eyes perpetually move towards the titles of the horde books either dispersed on the asphalts or stacked one over the other. There is an unmistakable instructive buzz if at any point such thing exists outside college grounds, where even somebody who is simply traversing to another goal ends up involved in the realm of books.

There is no corona over its elevated scholarly reason yet it moves and coaxes you to expand your idea and to open your psyche to the large number of things that you don’t know exist. There is no pointless refinement, no falsification, only a shortsighted methodology of securing information, of getting a charge out of what you contemplate and messing around with your companions.

Baagher Bacha: The Son of Tiger our beloved Dada

As a teenager, my favorite cricketer was Sachin Tendulkar. To me, he was the real hero, the champion. I never truly liked Ganguly much. His game just never gave me the adrenaline rush, like other cricketers like Sachin and Sehwag.

Today, as a 24-year-old adult, I can finally say that I understand the unbeaten strength that Ganguly held and his Bengali pride. When Ganguly was bestowed with the honor of being the captain of India, he completely transformed himself from a shy and conservative man to a ruthless leader that had no fear of anyone, all while holding his composure and poise.

Ganguly’s life has revolved around three ‘C’s – cricket, comebacks, and controversy.

When he was dumped out of the Indian team not only as a captain but also as a player, he could have easily retired and still be considered a legend. But he chose to come back and win the war against Greg Chappell.

Reading Ganguly’s book made me realize that more than shyness, this is a man full of pride in his achievements. “My team”, “my players”… these are some of the very common phrases you would find in the book. And he had absolutely full right of using them. It was his team. They were his boys. It was a team that was not only respected by the top echelons of the cricketing fraternity, it was also feared and not to be trifled with.

The name Sourav Ganguly, irrespective of personal likings and dislikings, remains a myth in India. His attitude, wittiness, aggression, dedication, determination are part of a topsy-turvy journey that encouraged millions around the globe to bow down and embrace the “Dadagiri”.

That heartbreaking feeling when he delivered an emotional message in that Pepsi advertising leading up to the ICC champions trophy in 2006, questioning people where he says, ‘Main aapka Dada. Aap bhule toh nahin?

When he was a player, I never understood his importance to the Indian cricket team. It was after he completely retired from the game was when I begin to fathom as to what he was. As they say, you understand the value of someone after they are gone.

The essence of Durga Puja

The most grandiose event organized by the people of Bengal with vigor and excitement. This mind-boggling event is celebrated by the country with setting up of Goddess Durga’s Murti in the Pandaals. The festival signifies victory of good over evil with Goddess Durga fighting Mahishasura, the shape-shifting, deceptive and powerful buffalo demon.

It is a ten-day event beginning from the first day with MAHALAYA, marking Durga’s advent in her battle against evil and is celebrated by the Bengalis from the sixth day till the tenth day. It starts with Mahishasuramardini- a two-hour radio programme that has been popular and still continues to happen within the community since the 1950s. The festival usually attracts a lot of crowd from outside the nation with people going shopping and having a family get together.

The festival is celebrated on a large scale giving reasons to families to meet and have good food. The various avatars of Goddess Durga are worshiped by the people. The preparation of artisans in making idols starts from the summer with the prayer to Ganesha and to the materials such as bamboo frames in which the statue are being cast. The idol when is ready is layered with a vegetable fiber called jute which is mixed with clay and is attached to the top to prevent the statue from cracking in the months ahead.

The government, in order to prevent the environment, has started distributing lead-free paints to artisans at no cost to prevent any hazardous impact that is caused due to the immersion of idol. The last day of the Durga Puja concludes with playful smearing of vermilion on Vijay Dashmi and then people take the idol and proceed towards water pond for its immersion with Band Baajas to give a happy see off.

The “Sweet” war of Syrupy, Soft Cheese Balls.

From the streets of Delhi to the restaurants of Chennai, Rasgulla is one of India’s most loved inventions. Rosogolla, roshogollah, rasagola, rasbhari or rasbari, it is referred to with different names in different cities. You may like it hot, cold, with icecream or any other possible way you can think of. But have you ever wondered about the origin of this sweet?

The Oriyas believe that it was their invention, as history reveals that Lord Jagannath offered the sweets to his consort Lakshmi, to pacify her for not being taken along during the Rath Yatra. From then, for over 200 years this dish has been a part of ritual at the Puri temple in Odisha. The temple kept the recipe well-guarded, but it is unknown as to how it reached out of the temples boundaries. But as per ancient folklore, a priest taught the villagers of Pahala, Bhubaneswar the art of milk curdling and making the Rasgulla, after seeing them throw away excess milk. But the rasgulla produces here were brown in colour and had a different texture than the once that prevails now.

On the other hand, West Bengal the state that is synonymous for Rasgulla, stake their claim on it. They believe that Nabin Chandra Das founded it in 1868 and popularised by the following generations of his family. His descendants claim that his recipe was original. Das’s invention became very famous among Bengali’s and for a long time no one could replicate the exact same taste.  In 1930, Rasgulla was canned and exported to different countries by KC Das and gained popularity across the globe.

The sweet found itself at the middle of an interesting tug of war between two states. In 2015, a committee formed by the government of Odisha asserted that the sweet had originated in Odisha. In 2016, the West Bengal government applied for a Geographical Indications (GI) tag for the variant called “Banglar Rosogolla” (Bengali Rasgulla), clarifying that the Bengal and Odisha variants were different in “both in colour, texture, taste, juice content and method of manufacturing.”

The legal battle came to an end on November 14 2017, with the Geographical Indications tag on Rasgulla being awarded to West Bengal.

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose – The person who defined Indian Freedom

 The most iconic and revered person who laid the foundation of India’s freedom is still engraved in the hearts of the nation. A vibrant patriotic person, created INA to enroll one of most mentally strong people who could die for the nation without hesitation. The ninth child of the fourteen children of Janakinath Bose and Prabhavati Devi, Netaji was born in Cuttack. Netaji was brilliant in studies as he cracked the civil services exam and secured the fourth rank.

Netaji forego his hard-earned lucrative job and returned to fight for India’s Independence and he even started the newspaper “Swaraj” to instill strength and confidence in the minds of people for freedom and took charge of publicity for the Bengal Provincial Congress Committee.

His philosophy of tit-for-tat even sometimes conflicted with Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of Dandi March using as a way to fight for India’s freedom. He loved eating Bengali foods. His food consisted of Dal Bhaat, Puri, Curd, and Bananas. He used to mostly survive on tea, water, and lime juice. He was a down to earth personality, though being from a well-off family. He was fond of supaari (Beetle-Nut) and fully obsessed with coffee. His quotes like “Give me Blood and I will give you Freedom” and “Dilli Chalo” are one of the most known slogans ever praised by the Indians.

Under the guidance of Chittranjan Das, his spirit to work for nation’s independence grew by leaps and bounds. For the contribution that Netaji made for India’s Independence, He was posthumously honored with Bharat Ratna Award- the highest civilian award which was later withdrawn because of the PIL regarding the Posthumous issue of Bharat Ratna. Netaji carried a personality which can’t be reflected by anyone in the world, such is the aura that still prevails in the hearts of people.

The Taste of Bengal – Rohu Fish Eggs Fry

Fish recipes are very popular all over the world and in different parts of India, mostly in Bengali households. We all love to experiment different fish recipes with varieties of fishes, for instance, Rohu, Katla, Hilsa, to name a few. Talking about the fishes, but have heard about having the fish eggs too. Well on this post today I’ll share a recipe made of the tiny globules of eggs from the Rohu fish. These eggs from the Rohu fish are very tasty and prepared in varieties of ways. These fish eggs are most likely available before they are hatched into thousands of small fishes again.

It is always observed that Bengalis prepare a whole lot of fish items and other fried veggies during any festival or occasions. I just felt like sharing this too that this month is special to me in some way and December is, of course, the month welcoming the winter too. I heard somewhere long ago that Winter means ‘a sweetheart with a lot of new wishes.’

Coming to the recipe of ‘Rohu Fish Eggs Curry’ is a very common fish egg recipe of all time. The traditional fish egg recipes are quite different from other fish recipes. Here in this fish egg recipe, I have used very commonly available things that we normally have in our kitchen and I have also mentioned the method for preparation in step by step which is not very complicated.

Method:

1. Chop the required veggies for the curry.
2. Heat half a cup of oil in the cooking panPut cumin seeds into the hot oil, and let it splutter.
3. Then add in sliced onions, chilies, and sugar fry till onion turns brown in colour. Then add ginger-garlic paste and saute.
4. Now add salt and chopped potato cubes, cover the pan with a lid and cook for 5 minutes.
5. After 5 minutes, remove the lid, add turmeric powder, Mirchi powder, and sliced tomatoes. Mix well and cover the lid again.
6. Simmer until the potatoes are cooked.
7. Add a cup of water and bring to boil, then slide in the fried fish eggs nuggets into the curry.

Rohu Fish Eggs Curry is ready to be served hot, you can also garnish with fresh coriander leaves and it definitely tastes super delicious. It is best combined with hot steamed rice, sprinkle a teaspoon of ghee, lemon juice and a pinch of salt, and it just tastes super awesome. Prepare this easy fish egg recipe for a stupendous lunch treat or for a Sunday gala. Enjoy cooking, serving and eating!!

Trams of Kolkata – A Colonial era ride that is still going strong.

Trams are an innate piece of the way of life and history of Kolkata. In spite of the fact that they are currently less in number, they are still a long way from being wiped out. A trek to Kolkata does not appear to be finished without a cable car vehicle ride over the city. Till today, this is the only Trams framework in India, and perhaps the just a one of its kind in Asia.

Cable car courses run parallel to different vehicles on uncommon tracks spread out at the edge of the bustling streets. They pursue the impulses of the traffic lights and are much the same as scaled down neighborhood trains.

Maybe it is unusual, however looking out at the city through the cable car windows can make one feel as if they’ve swum reverse in time. Indeed, even with vehicles hustling by (frequently at obviously better speeds than your cable car) the commotion of people on foot and vehicle horns, it’s nearly just as you’ve entered ‘Calcutta’ and left behind the 21st century for a concise time.

Inside a cable car, you will discover, wood and metal seats spread out in two columns. Wide windows with thin, painted bars, apathetically and boisterously buzzing fans and around evening time, the pale sparkle of bright lights. The ticket conductor will approach, regularly with an inquiring flick of this wad of prepared tickets. What’s more, after unveiling your goal, he will continue to hand over little segments of paper embellished with the voyage subtleties.

When you’re wanting to land, the conductor will ring a chime, both to make the cable car stop, and after that to give it the green flag to begin once more.

The road ahead is by all accounts clear for the cable cars: They are staying put for some more years. They are as yet utilized day by day by committed workers, and their ecologically amicable nature makes them significantly additionally engaging. For the individuals who travel to Kolkata as a traveler, a ride on one of the cable cars is an absolute necessity.

The administration has throughout the years chalked out redevelopment designs and a few different activities to make cable car rides a considerably greater fascination. In the event that these are additionally executed, it will soon to make the Kolkata tram an unquestionable requirement ride for everybody.

Sonagachi – The Gold which turned Red!!

To the north of Kolkata, one kilometre north of the city’s Marble Palace area, lies Asia’s largest sex workers hub popularly known as Sonagachi. About 13,000 women satiate their hunger and needs through their bodies. As the sun hides, the illegal network of trafficking, local criminal gangs and victims conceal on the narrow lanes of the district. In Bengali, Sonagachi means “tree of gold”. The genesis of Sonagachi, Kolkata’s red-light district, can be traced to a dacoit-turned-Muslim saint.  During the early days of the city, the area was the den of a notorious Muslim dacoit by the name of Sanaullah, who lived here with his mother. On his death, the grieving woman is said to have heard a voice coming from their hut, saying, “Mother, don’t cry. I have become a Gazi”, and so the legend of “Sona Gazi” began. The brothels of Sonagachi, at one point, were said to be owned by prominent Bengali families. Today, women stare out from the balconies of decrepit mansions with suggestive names like “Prem Kutir”. It is thought as many as 1,000 women arrive every year to work in the brothels, and each of them have their own tale of how they came to live in the sprawling red light district. Here is an aching story of Beauty, a popular 19 year old prostitute.

Beauty is one of the youngest in Sonagachi, who works with a group of other prostitutes in the quest to earn money. She takes shower thrice a day, as she attends 4-5 clients in between every shower. Her nights are long while the mornings are short and start late. Life of Beauty is restricted to just the dark rooms of the brothel and the poverty of Sonagachi.

Beauty tells the story of her life and her two sons. Nayan was born from her then 23 year old husband, where her parents had forcibly married her off when she was just 12. Within few months, she fled to her mother’s place on account of an abusive husband’s torture; however, the tragedy was followed by her mother’s death. She immediately took homage at her sister’s place, where her brother-in-law forced himself on her one night. Instead of listening to her younger sister, Beauty’s sister asked her to leave the house.

In the quest for work to support her life and nourish her son, Beauty boarded a train to Dhaka. But little did she know that her life was going to change. She met her trafficker. Recalling the incident, Beauty says, ‘A vast, wiry haired-wild eyed woman’ promised her, a humble job with substantial wage. During the conversation with the lady, she remembers drinking the water from her bottle which was already adulterated with the sedatives. Later, she gained consciousness only to be found in a room at NonChapota, near Bangladesh-India Border, waiting to be transferred as a sex worker to Sonagachi. She was sold!

Since 13, she lives in Sonagachi, she says, “When I am sad, I put on makeup, it helps me become someone else to cover up the cracks.” In few months working as a sex worker, Beauty conceived a child and that is how Ridoy was born, a son of her client. When Beauty had refused to work as ‘Chukri’ (forced sex slave) her sons had been kept captive for bargaining terms. Today, both of them live in a NGO, away from the messy environment of the streets and the culture.

Her heart sinks while telling this, “Holding them, tight close to me is the only thought that gets me through the day, I don’t need saving. It’s for them I do this work. I hope I can at least save them from this world… that I can give them some of the important chances in life that I never had.”

This is the reality of Sonagachi, this is just one story, imagine how many are out there in those 13,000 sad faces?

4 Street Food Joints to Relish Around Gariahat

It is just impossible to not visit Gariahat when you visit Kolkata!! The market takes to you exhaustive and extensive shopping experience!! This marketplace offers a variety of products in form of makeshift stalls and shops along the roadside.

Moreover, this place is not only famous for shopping but also its eateries which tends to offer lip-smacking snacks without burning the pockets!

1)Campari

This place is known for its GoodFood at Good Places!! The fish dishes are particularly popular, like Fish Rolls, Fish Fingers, Fish Fry and Special Tandoori Fish Rolls. But other dishes like Mutton Cutlet, Chicken Roll, Chicken Kebab and Campari Special Rolls are worth trying too.

Where: 155B, Gariahat, Kolkata

Cost for 2: Rs.150

2) Nawab Snacks Bar

The street food checklist in Kolkata is incomplete without good old rolls. At Nawab Snacks Bar, you will get plenty of options, from hot kathi to double egg rolls. Our binge favorites are Chicken Kebab Roll, Mutton Tikka Roll, and Chicken Boti Kebab Roll.

Where: 167N Gariahat, Kolkata

Cost for 2: Rs.100

3) Sankar’s Fry

If you love juicy and crunchy Fish Batter Fry, this is one of the best places in Gariahat to head to. Don’t believe us? The long queues say it all. Try their popular dishes like Chicken Cheese Fry, Chicken Pakora, Fish Fingers, Fish Cutlet, Fish Kabiraji, and Fish Fry and you will come back craving for more.

Where: 119 Rashbehari Avenue

Cost for 2: Rs. 150

4) Mini Hut

This restaurant has been catering to starving students and teens for a long time, and their Indo-Chinese food is amazing. Prepared street-style, the Chilli Garlic Noodles, Pan Fried Noodles and Cantonese Rice are highly recommended paired with Red and Green Pepper Chicken, Chilli Fish and Sweet and Sour Chicken.

Where: 8/12 Cornfield Road

Cost for 2: Rs.500

Let us know what’s your favorite joint around Gariahat!!