Published in Public Interest...

Two of my favorite - Sensible ads from a mail I received this morning....

Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear-Save Trees

There Is An Easier Way Of Committing Suicide-Try Smoking

Typing speed !!

40 words
Year 2000, was the last time when we had a wedding in the family. Finally, there's another one round the corner. Next up and very soon Arghya-mama is getting married. Preparations are on. In our culture, before a person actually gets married, he/she is invited by family members and given a grand treat, we call it the 'Aiburo-bhaat'. Yesterday, my mashi invited Arghya-mama, for his 'Aiburo-bhaat'. I was also invited along with him and his two sisters (who are twins and two years younger to me and also are my mashis [aunties] :)). We all had a lovely dinner. At 1 o'clock in the afternoon, now, as I am desperately waiting for my lunch in office and I am terribly hungry, all I can think about, is yesterdays' menu.
In such a state, I would want to share with my readers, one of my favorite recipes.

Ingredients :
Tangra Fish
Mustard oil
Onions - finely chopped
Green chilies - Slit lengthwise from the middle
Ginger-Garlic paste
Coriander leaves
Tomato - Finely chopped
Cumin, Coriander, Red-chilly and Garam-Masala powder
Posto seed (Poppy Seeds) OR Suji (Semolina) - whole, not paste
Groundnut - paste
Salt and sugar to taste

Method :
Heat mustard oil in a pan, fry the fishes with turmeric powder and salt. Keep aside the fried fishes and add the finely chopped onions, tomatoes, ginger-garlic paste into the heated oil. Mix sugar (optional). Once golden-brown, add to it the green-chillies, cumin-coriander-red chilly powders also salt (save the garam-masala powder till the end) followed by the groundnut paste, coriander leaves. Fry till you get the aroma coming. Next sprinkle the posto/suji. Fry a little more and then mix water(very little). Simmer for another 5 mins and add the garam-masala powder before switching off the burner. You are done.

Please do not forget to give me your feedback after you have tried it yourself. It's lunch here now finally, so, adios.
Raw Tangra Maach
When I look back at the flow of events today, it appears to be a blur. They say, 'Morning shows the day', please read on and let me know whether what they say is right or wrong.
I was sad since morning, couldn't see a ray of hope by which I could be happy. My TL, Debajyoti sensed it and tried his best to motivate by forwarding me a few of his favorite songs (one of them being a Himesh Reshmiya number :-)). I began the music therapy session and towards the end of the list, reached a Gulam Ali – Gazal (Humko Kiske Gham Ne Mara) which did wonders to my mood. During lunch, when I was jotting down the lyrics of the gazal for future reference, Tanusri asked me to go with her outside, where she said “some people are singing along-with loud music, you want to come and watch?” I moved out with her quite unwillingly and stood there in front of a wheeled stage, where a certain karaoke competetion was being held. A representative approached us and narrated the process :
"This is a promo offer for a certain cell phone and we have arranged a karaoke competetion, all you need to do is sing along with the track, the lyrics would be displayed on a board". I said i'd compete. I climbed on to the stage, the song that was given to me was my unluckiest song of the recent times. I call it unlucky because, whenever I have tried to listen to it(leave alone singing or even humming), something or the other has gone wrong. I sang the entire song and was given a T-Shirt at first and later a Laptop-Backpack (the first prize) for the day.
The last time I performed on-stage was in August 2007 (occasion-Barshamangal)...don't feel like singing at all these days, dont know why...i hope i get back to the mood(of regular practice) soon. Wherever I go, even on social networking sites, my aquaintances and friends keep asking me the same question,"You still singing, right?" I had been repeatedly told by my teachers in school and professors in college,"no matter what you grow up to become, never quit singing". Am feeling extremely guilty for having discontinued (my singing lessons, for the first time in the last 22 years of my singing career) what used to be a passion and devotion for me. I apologize to everyone for this, I also look forward to starting my second innings in singing, i'm a tad bit low in confidence at the moment, please pray for me.

Minor at Twenty Six


Location : South City Mall- Fame Cinemas
Movie : Fashion(A)

I had gone for the movie with my cousin sister, her two children and my ma. I am the youngest in my family and all my cousins are quite older to me, so much that their daughters are more like my sisters rather than my nieces. My cousin's eldest daughter is twenty and the younger one is in class nine.
I went to the ticket counter,
Me: "Five tickets for Fashion"
Person @ the Counter: "I need your age proof. Without that, I will not be able to issue a single ticket to you ma'm"
Damn, there was a problem. We all could prove our ages but the youngest(class nine) wouldn't be allowed.
I asked my ma and didi to go and ask at the counter again.
They were told " If you have children below the age of eighteen, then they will be needed to produce their age proof certificates before they could be allowed in".
I somehow felt like punching the person who asked me for my age-proof. I am going to turn twenty-seven this December, damn-it.
I kept quiet for a while. But, "No matter what, I am going for Fashion".

My ma and didi would accompany my youngest niece for Roadside Romeo(U) and I would go to Fashion(A) with my older niece, Raily. Decided, now I went to the counter again.
Me: "Three tickets for Roadside Romeo and two for Fashion"
Prsn @ countr: "Your age proof ma'm".
Raily took out her college ID and was not asked a word.
I showed him my Office ID and was questioned, "This does not have your age proof ma'm"

Now, I was enjoying it.

Me: "That's an office id, do you think I would be employed by a company had I been a minor?"
I gave him my debit card for swiping,"And this is my debit card, do you think a minor would be allowed a debit card by any bank".
He spoke to a co-worker and finally, "It's okay ma'm(handed me the tickets), enjoy the movie ma'm" .
While we were entering the theatre, security persons asked for our age-proofs again after seeing the Fashion tickets. Raily wasn't asked a word after she put forward her college ID, I was asked again, after I showed them my office ID, "Your date of birth ma'm?". I said... and was stared back at, with a look of shock and disbelief. She did not even peep into my bag, which I had opened for her to see. "Okay ma'm, you can go in".

Inspite of all the harassment, I would still like to thank the people of South City Fame Cinemas for making my day. I mean, where, I have my friends, who look like they should at least have one child each, I am considered to be a minor? Well! I take that as a compliment guys.

Once I had gone shopping with a friend and I had bought a lot of things already, Priyanka was yet to buy something. The shop keeper told her,"Your younger sister is buying so many clothes, you can also buy a few". I looked the other way so that she wouldn't see me smiling. Priyanka smiled too, "Thank God, at least he didn't call me your mother ;)".