Planning to head back to Calcutta in December

The Streets of Calcutta still invoke some timelessness, but not for long as buildings are getting torn down for developments.

Once again I am heading back to Calcutta,  this city has been my first entry into India in November 2008, it touched my heart deeply and I fell in love with this Great Dame, missing her dreadfully.

This time I would like to see Calcutta proper, to venture into North Calcutta and the other parts of Bengal.

Visiting the Poush Mela in Santiniketan (alt spelling – Shantiniketan), because I am fascinated about the Bauls – spiritual musicians who have forsaken the material life and devote themselves to music, like a spiritual monk/nun. Their music is so soulful, it touched me deeply when I first listened to them in Bangladesh.

Poush Mela happens during Christmas in December, not sure about the dates yet, will have to find out more about it. It is said that most of the Bauls around the country would make their way to this massive jamming session for 3 days.

Santiniketan (alt spelling – Shantiniketan) is made famous by the Nobel Literature Laureate Rabindranath Tagore who helped made the town into a university center for Bengali arts and literature

Kenduli Mela, another baul festival celebrated at Kenduli in Birbhum District of West Bengal, a less commericalised festival compared to Poush Mela but also gradually getting corroded by the Kirtans – Sikh musicans over-numbering the Bengali bauls. Story about the Kirtans invading the Baul festival is here.

The festival happened around 14 January this year, not sure when it will be in 2010. As it happens it is on the same day as Ganga Sagar mela at Sagar island, another festival I would like to visit as well.

Kenduli mela held in honor of a Sanskrit poet Jayadeva, the village is said to be the birthplace of the famous poet and lyricist although now it is being disputed. Kenduli is located in the Birbhum district of West Bengal. It is at a distance of about forty-two kilometers from Santiniketan (alt spelling – Shantiniketan)

Finally I met the Dalai Lama!

Persons to meet before I die :

Met the Dalai Lama = CHECKED!

I was pretty blessed to have met the Dalai Lama in Ladakh, he was holding a Dharma teaching for 4 days.

I subsequently met him a few times while he was in Leh meeting up with the locals organisations.

He has such a huge presence even with 30,000 people who gathered for his teachings, he glowed in aweness. My heart skipped a few beats when I saw him the first time.

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Happy Birthday to me!

Taken at Old Delhi, at fresh lime juice stall. I don't really know why the stall seller placed a key into the glass but its kinda special isn't it?.

First October 2009

It’s my Birthday today!

Pani Puri at Old Delhi

Old Delhi, India

I got introduced by this street snack or Chaat in Hindi by a great Bengali food connoisseur, Sourabh and his great beautiful wife in Calcutta. There it is call Phuchka, and in Delhi its call Gol Pappa but most commonly known in its hindi street name, Pani Puri (Water-Biscuit)

Its made from wheat and semolina flour, deep fried into little balls, it is then filled with a mixture of tamarind and mint and pieces of potato and mixed spices, ‘Pani’. In Old Delhi it cost from 5rp to 10rp for 5-6 pieces, in Calcutta it cost 3rp – 5rp on average.

Tasted a few dreadful versions in places like Manali, some parts of New Delhi and other places,  this Old Delhi Pani Puri stall owner puts pride in his creation. The pani burst with sweet, sour and spicy mixtures in your mouth. Really great and cheap too!

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Sorta getting addicted to Meetha Paan (sweet betel nut leaf)

Sweet yummy paan with coconut flakes and fruit preserves.

In Old Delhi, the street food here is great, while Calcutta can get considered as the Queen of great Bengali street food, Old Delhi is great for its Mughal influenced Muslim delights.

One of the weirdest thing I am getting addicted to, is the great quality sweet paan from Old Delhi. An average it cost from 3rp – 10rp.  Paan which is betel nut and its leaf is kinda of a dessert or a mouth-freshener which proofs to be a little addictive, where everyone seem to have in their mouth, chewing and splitting constantly.

I have tried betel nut leaf in many places around India and Burma, I hate it, they taste bitter and have this tongue and mouth numbing effect that it last for an hour.

In Megahalaya, the Khasi tribe tradition to serve a tongue numbing mix of limestone and bitter betel nut leaf, the womenfolk loves their betel nut as shown in the red and black decaying teeth and their blood stained lips.

Nagaland where a naga man once told me, chewing betel nut is healthy for teeth while showing his decaying black stained set of ivory and in Calcutta where they constantly chew the processed and dried version of it and forever seem to be splitting all over the streets of Calcutta.

The paan in Old Delhi is kinda different, the leaf is sweet tasting and you get the choice of putting a sweet version of some fruit sugar instead of that horrid limestone paste. The Paan maker gives you a whole selection of his fruit preserves, dried coconut flakes, candied spices and herbs such as fennel, and a whole lot of different syrups made from saffron, dates, honey and jaggery (brown palm sugar), of course they do add the fresh betel nut, which I usually opt out. I don’t seem to know how to chew the fresh betel nut, its tough and hard and it almost breaks or chip your teeth.

This paan seller seem to be quite popular, I had to wait for a while, there were many people constantly at the stall. The variety of mixes are amazing, hidden chambers of syrups, sweet fruits and other spices and herbs

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