Kosha Mangsho..Bengali Style..Diwali Special

I know Diwali is all about Laxmi Puja in majority of India....for Bengali's who do Shakti Puja, Diwali marks the day for worshipping Ma Kali (the angry version of Durga Ma). Traditionally Bengali's keep fast the whole day..and do the Puja at night followed by the feast....

Well..I didn't keep fast...but I cooked the dish of the day for family - Kosha Mangsho. for those interested..below's the recipe for same -

Ingredients:-

1 Kg Mutton

3 Tablespoon Mustard Oil

Ginger-Garlic Paste - 3 Big Pieces of Ginger and 2 Big Bulb of Garlic or 15-20 big cloves of garlic

4 Big Onions Chopped

4 Big Tomato's Chopped

2 Potato's - Peeled and Halved

2 Tsp's Turmeric

Salt as per taste

1 Tsp Lal Mirch ( you can add more if you like it Tikha)

1 Tsp Black Pepper

1 Tsp White Pepper

2 Tsp Garam Masala

1. Wash and clean the Mutton well. Marinate it in half of the Ginger-garlic paste, turmeric and salt for 1 hour.

2. Heat Mustard Oil in a Cooker..once it leaves fumes, add rest of the ginger-garlic paste & onions

3. Once the mixture turns light brown, add Tomoato's and cook it, ensuring it doesn't stick to the bottom.

4. Once it is reduced to pulp and oil starts leaving the mixture, add Lal Mirch, White & Black Pepper and a little salt and cook well.

5. Add the Mutton once the masala is cooked and mix it well. Keep turing the mutton on regular period so as to ensure it doesn't stick to the bottom. Let the mutton cook in it's own water released for 1 hour over small flame.

6. After an hour add the potato's and cook for 20 more mins or till meat is tender and potato's cooked.

7. Garnish with Garam masala and check for salt...

8. Serve hot with Luchi or Rice

To cook it early...you can after adding the Meat to the Masala cook it on slow-to-medium flame for 45 mins, followed by adding Potato and cooking for 15 mins. Then, add a little water and close the lid of cooker and give it two Whistles to tenderize the mutton.

Skyfall...!!!

Loved it...just Loved it... five words to sum the movie:-

1. Sleek 2. Raw 3. A little Filmi 4. Machoism 5. Loads of action

From all Bond movies I have seen till date...to be honest (not that I am not usually)..Daniel Craig as Bond are the best one's. The movie is a fantastic tribute to Mr. Bond, exemplifying some of his very good traits..loyalty, perfect Gentleman, resurrection, human...ohh yes, Unlike our dearest Agent from Bourne series...Bond post his resurrection is strong and quite ready for action.

Not much of womanizing nature, however another trait of "man", spoken of much in all genres takes precedence in this movie:- Loyalty and the Protector.

The vulnerability shown along with the strong resolution, makes this Bond my favorite...putting him in the "strong epitome Hero" category..you know like Russell Crowe from Galdiator kinds. And the action sequence is quite nice...not as gadgetie as Mission Impossible..but damn good and in a genre of it's own

In between..the movie does become a bit stretched..and some action sequences timing are questionable...however in all, quite a good movie and a very good watch

Crying therapy !!

Recently I was watching one of the episodes from Everybody loves Raymond, where Debra in her me time sits and cries out...to get a cathartic feeling....well Ray sure doesn't gets it and makes fun of her, leading to yet another hilarious episode of Everybody Loves Raymond.

It got me thinking..if crying really can be as helpful as proclaimed by a character on a show...and come to think of it, I think I am going to agree with the overworked housewife of the Barone clan.

For someone with repressed emotions and pent-up anger...an outlet in form of crying might actually do good, by way of a vent out session. Instead of taking out the mis-placed emotions (as termed by society) on honest citizens...this mechanism sure can be a controller.

I thought about doing a dig up to see if my supposition had any basis...and not to much surprise I got About 2,420,000 results (0.31 seconds) on Google (what will one do without it).

Turns out biochemist William Frey said something on similar lines and proclaimed this much earlier, with a theory that crying is important to overall health. In his book Crying. The Mystery of Tears (Winston Press, 1985), he explains his research and points out that people feel better after crying because the shedding of tears removes "chemicals that build up as a result of emotional stress." (source:http://control-your-emotions.blogspot.in/2007/10/crying.html)

One study analyzed 140 years of popular articles about crying and found that more than 9 in 10 found tears to be a good way to release pent-up feelings. An international sample of men and women from 30 countries found that most reported feeling relief after a good cry. And about 70 percent of therapists say they believe crying is good for their patients. (source: http://www.everydayhealth.com/emotional-health/is-crying-healthy.aspx)

On the contrary...a school of thought is of the opinion..that crying is more or less influenced by our society and general expectations as well. Also...it is said that too much crying can be very counter-active and rather than playing the cathartic role, can actually be damaging and damn the spirit and soul of an individual.

Ohhh..boy..everything said and done...I guess..crying is like everything else in life. In moderation it is a blessing (I mean helpful)..and in excess and in deprivation..quite harmful..

So taking Debra's view..well give a good cry a shot sometime..may be helpful in getting rid of all the pent up emotions that we carry in today's hectic crazy world and kept it locked away in our quest to be prim and proper :-)

Dreams and Thoughts...

Knock knock knock, away it goes
Silently it knocks on the doors
Hush one says, for who wants to hear
It isn’t the time, it isn’t the year...

Knock knock knock, away it goes
One window shut, one door left out-turned
Maybe it can dawn now, maybe one can spare a thought...
For who would have guessed, it’s just the pale shadow of a dream once lost...

Lingering, knocking it goes around
Musing thinking, one goes on and on
What is that, the right moment as they say
Ahh, the blissful hour when thou shan’t question the grace...

Would it not knock upon us, would it not shout loud
Will I not hear that, which once I had echoed among the many laughs...

Fear ....

I have feared to express what I believe,
But have learned to respect what I want..

I have feared to lose those I love,
But have learned that what belongs to me would remain so for long..

I have feared making the choices,
But have learned that its hard to please all..

I have feared the dead,
But have learned it’s the undead who can hurt without cause..

I have feared to travel the un trodden path,
But have learned to live without regret for the turn..

I have feared the change and coming tomorrow,
But have learned that He cares for me who has made it all..

Super-heroes and Us……

Super-heroes and Us……

Upon watching Iron Man 2, I would disagree with the critics who termed it as just a high drama sequence with no heart. To be frank, it sure was quite more entertaining than the first part itself, with more action and stunts and the ever larger-than life figure of Tony Stark. The impressive and stalwart image of Iron Man, depicted with a pinch of humor and satire on human race, in fact was quite a refreshing change.

Iron-man is a far-cry from the other human super-hero’s such as Batman or Spiderman or Hulk. Now one has to give liberty here to the fact that the genesis of Iron man was the necessity of Tony Stark’s survival. For Peter Parker it was a curse or a boon, gifted without choice. For Bruce Banner it was an accident. On the other hand, for Bruce Wayne, Batman was a mask, a get-away from the harsh reality of his parents’ death. What unites them all is their desire to fight for justice and upholding the same. But it stops right there as the four choose different approaches there-on.

In the lone battles of Spiderman or Hulk or Batman, the fragility of human nature is often made visible. Their constant battle with own desires, own fears and defeats is very akin and close to our everyday battles with ourselves. Who amongst us has not felt the burden of responsibilities, the urge to drop everything and completely shun the barriers and codes of conduct imposed on us by society? They are the bleeding heroes.

Now, here is where, Tony Stark stands out. The man is not only narcissistic but also arrogant and loud, largely due to the fact that his other-self, i.e., that Iron Man is not a get-away or an accident. It is a choice, made in order to live, survive which is valued by him immensely. His grand presentation of self, is nothing but a representation of his strong belief in himself and his decisions.
Iron Man personifies those among us who stick by their choice with all strength, knowing and understanding well why they are doing what are doing. They are not slaves to co-incidence or fate, but are the fate-makers, the real heroes. To quote the antagonist in Iron Man 2, Ian Vanko, “You make the God’s bleed, and people will not believe in them’, aptly captures it all. People can sympathize with their likes but they admire and hate at the same breathe those who are larger-than life.

Brightness enchanting....

It is mesmerizing to note, how amazingly bright is the sun at noon....
it hurts enough, burning the skin..yet the shine is thrilling on its own...
wondering on the sleepy breeze, the haze of dreams knock upon...
was it yesterday or today that I had bumped through the knots in my thoughts...
How sadistic it is to realize often...
the shallowness of memory and incompetence of recognizing every spec of a moment....
the bliss yet the heart knows...of that one passing hour...
that one heartbeat..when all stood silenced..when one inside conquered the other...
the beat when the heart and the head sang in one tune..
for it isn't often that I am not torn...
torn by that which is right or wrong...
and unknowingly..on a bright sunny noon..crossing a known street
glancing on the bemused stranger I had realized what I knew all along...
shinning with the bright rays of the firy being...
radiating through every pore of me...