A MORNING WALK

My wife and I walked along Central Avenue in Jersey city after turning right where Poplar Street hits Central Avenue at hudson Park. A slowwalk for half an hour took us to a greengrocers run by a Chinese lady. We went inside the shop and saw a bewidering variety of herbs,leaves and fruits. We purchased a packet of red cherries for a dollar and then retraced our steps. There was snow accumulated on the footpath at places with a blackish crown. It was cold but we had sufficient protection.

ANOTHER HEATHROW?

We took the Air India flight AI 681 from Dum Dum for New Delhi on our way to JFK airport New York. We reached Indira Gandhi International Airport at 10.30pm and spent some time at the lounge. Believe me it gives Heathrow Airport a run for its money. The Duty Free shops were well stocked and competitive with single malts being affordable at about $40-$50!



The glitter and the glamour were all pervading whereas the International Airport at Calcutta was a shambles. I took some pictures of the airport as we patiently waited the boarding.

DEBANGI'S ANNAPRASAN

DEBANGI

VENERABLE LADIES

She is the younger daughter of my nephew Bhaskar. A cute bundle of joy for everyone. Barely six months old but old enough to eat solid food that is rice.

On Friday the 7th of January she had her rice eating ceremony called ANNAPRASAN and the party was in the evening at Sarada Bhavan in Kasba.

Kasba is famous for mosquitoes and sure enough we were not disappointed. The hall was splendidly decorated as befitted the occasion.

Debangi was dressed as a cute doll and her sister Shubangi stole the show by running around in circles.

CHOTLA FLANKED BY SISTERS FROM USA

We spent some excellent time in once again uniting with our close relatives and exchanging pleasantries and New Year wishes. The food was superb and served as buffet. Cafeteria tables were there for those who wished to dine sitting down. I was a wee bit disappointed that many distinguished guests were soiling the table and leaving their plates behind: no consideration for those who will occupy the table next.

BUNTI

ON BEING A SENIOR CITIZEN

I turned sixty last Thursday, the sixth of January. My wife and I decided to make it to Park Hotel in the evening after we had purchased tickets for our journey to USA from Tasha travels.

On the second floor of Park Hotel there is a cosy restaurant SAFFRON. We sat ourselves comfortably and the waiter brought us the menu. I had a beer and for starters we had Prawn Tandoori. The prawns were soft and succulent and we delved deeply into them. This was followed by chicken kebabs, again a connoisseur’s delight.

What to have next? My daughter Ananya was not there to guide us as she is nicely ensconced in New Jersey so we had to fend for ourselves. I wondered what Julius Caesar would have asked for or better still what the epicure Bonaparte should have deemed acceptable; the main course would have been a bit too heavy so we finally opted for Bhetki kebab. No four and twenty blackbirds surely but the bhetki was a fit tribute to our tastebuds.

DASHAMI 20101

CHANDRAMALLIKA

It was an exciting Sunday. A little over ten in the morning my wife and I headed for Narendrapur for a rather remote village to keep an invitation for lunch. Mr. Sunil Raychowdhury had invited us. The weather was simply divine. The place was called Chandramallika and it had 2 ponds, one larger than the other. We reached there at about 11.30am and I immediately sat to down with others for chatting. Wonder what all topics do we have in common to talk about! Whether it was the Roman Emperor Caligula or the Caliph of Baghdad or a very mundane person from Burdwan: all were rightly toasted for their unique contribution to our entertainment. There was plenty of Royal Challenge whiskey to enliven our discussion with snacks in tow.

We had a sumptuous lunch with fish curry and polao, followed by chilly chicken. There were sweet dishes too.






My wife and I had a thoroughly enjoyable time, and we headed home after wishing our hosts the very best wishes for the New Year.

AN EVENING TO REMEMBER

It simply couldn’t have been better. For my wife’s birthday we went to Stadel, a delightful restaurant in the Salt Lake stadium on Monday evening. We chose Heka, a theme centre based on ancient Egypt. The lighting was just right and the décor perfect. Believe me we had real coffins for tables! Not very ghoulish I should say.



For starters she had a charming concoction, Sinful Chocolate. Ancient Egypt had plenty of sin and being sinful was fashionable, but chocolate? South America was still terra incognita. I warmed myself with a Bloody Mary. Sure it was chilling inside.


The grilled Fish was delectable. The boiled vegetables added élan.


For the main course tandoori prawns ruled the roost. They were really jumbo and succulent to. We were filled up to our gullets.


Don’t ask me whether we relived our honeymoon. We surely did.

Many thanks Heka.