Stephen Hawking ..... who am I to utter a single word on him? Do I at all have the material in me to do so? ... "podartho bigyaan niye katha bolbo shei podartho ki bhetorey achey?"..... But I am enjoying watching people celebrating his life and work.... So far, so long it is fine.... What worries me is that some are dissecting his personal life .... that too within 24 hours of his death.... they went ahead with dramatic short stories on when he got married, who he went off with and again came back.... I really could not digest such insult of the magnanimous persona.... its irrelevant compared to his contribution to this world.... at least he should not be made a material for a dramatic novel.... a movie was made during his life time it is okay... it must have included his work too .... but a separate note on his love life is totally unwelcome! When the no more best friend but the near closest one gets back home from the office, the lady screamed.... "yeh kya hai yaar... Stephen Hawking ke niye premer golpo cherey diyechey bazaarey"..... The husband says "cool baby, a celebrity life is always too much of a public property"....
This lady who sits far from Science and Technology always loved Hawking's take on alien life made easy to her.... haha... a major part of her heart is still that of an eight year old or a fifteen! There is another memory that popped up on the death news the day before yesterday! Our monkey was 7-8 years old when the mother noticed that he watches a Stephen Hawking's show, come on Indian television is not only about those indigestible soaps! Obviously the mother's chest will swell like an elephant's feet or say like our gym going big brother from college "buk folano dada".... She made "International Maritime Satellite Call" to the husband .... "Boss our boy is watching a Stephen Hawking Show consistently for sometime and not taking any interest in the Chota Bheem CD mumma got for him! The boss as usual did not show any interest and hung up the phone!..... Eight years passed, now that boy plays car games in that box and tells his father that one day he will make those Games .... courtesy his 'mamujaan'... my brother .... there will be no meat share today too! Our boy, the teachers' A* student got 75% in Physics last week while the rest of the class perhaps got 95%! The father does not say anything to his son but shouts at the mother.... "how many times have you watched Three Idiots, you will not take its essence!".... How will I? I do not qualify to be a Kolkata mother anymore is true but I had been one....
Earlier I have witnessed how friendships break because of mothers!.... No, I have no intention to take a dig at the ones for whom we are here on this earth.... if only the then mothers, who claimed themselves to be friends could feel this way...."our kids" and not "my kid" alone.... may be I looked back few decades back while saying this... it still hurts to see your own becoming strangers.... and force you to conclude they were not our own ever! Some ten years back... we were in a better position than before but still tore off the teachers' hairs for that one or two marks which will not matter later in life! It always feels good to see when my clan use the term "our kids"..... A good criticism, a good cause should always supersede the "me."....
I think my beliefs will leave me even lonelier in future... yet, I cannot love something I do not have faith in! Coming to "me" again, not that I do not weep in stress thinking of the board examination starting this May, yet I have stopped enquiring about the marks obtained by other students of his class, the husband does not allow me to gather much of information about what goes on inside the classroom! I only confide in my beautiful friend Piali Maitra .... her daughter is our boy's classmate though they are in different sections.... Her daughter gets frustrated if she gets anything less than 90% while our boy watched television the entire day yesterday which was supposed to be his study leave! No.... no I am not comparing our son to others.... I have watched Three Idiots about five to six times, just that the thought of the son making Car Games is giving me sleepless nights.... but he is mumma's baby... and she had to make some OATS DRY FRUITS TIL CHIKKI for him and his clan / brethren whatever!
As I told earlier, oats could not be a healthy breakfast or lunch option for me... however I tried, it was helpful too, yet I could not have oats with banana, yogurt or milk! One that does not align with my taste bud cannot be in my palette. I am not in the habit of wasting food either, so I had to make use of them in parathas, idlis and the last batch in this OATS DRY FRUITS TIL CHIKKI! The shameless self could not resist herself from having one! So you know this home could never be a good example of a healthy home! The ice-spice game continues... but I made a Bengali style chicken stew day before yesterday which I enjoyed, which was our boy's staple for few years just like many Indian homes.... chicken stew is considered a part of a sick man's or kids' diet! Its been three days now I am on a carb diet without any exercise .... this evening I must!
I am the creator of an unhealthy home does not mean I do not support what an expert has to say... if one Rujuta Diwekar says microwave cooking is bad for health, there is truth in it... How much I scolded one poor lady for reheating food every night in a skillet and not in the microwave!... Why?... May be because she does not earn in lakhs, may be because she lives in the extreme suburbs of Kolkata, may be because we are used to negate our own saying "dur tumi kichu janona!" I do not cook much in the microwave, I am that primitive "hata-khunti-korai zindabad types!".... I cook Bengali, I love to share them but not when I am forced to! These chikkis or brittles or energy balls / bombs whatever we call it takes no time to be made and in turn you get to see happy faces around.... The mumma of this house has to prepare and store a variety of food, someone loves "refrigerator hunting".... If I could be strict enough to say no study... no food, then I would have been all smiles to see a 95% overall grade!
Oats : 1 coffee mug
Sesame seed : 1/4 coffee mug
Chopped Dry Fruits : 2 tbsp [includes raisins, pistachios, cashew nuts, almonds]
Grated Jaggery : 3-4 tbsp [I used date palm jaggery]
Lemon Juice : 2-3 tbsp
Green Cardamom Powder : 1/2tsp
Water : 2-3 tbsp
METHOD :
Dry roast the oats, sesame seeds, chopped dry fruits in a heated wok for 4-5 minutes at low heat!Transfer to a bowl....
In the same heated wok... add the jaggery, sugar and the water.
Bring it to a boil, throw away the scum if you see any! No I could not translate.... "moila fyana ta alga korey tulle feley ditey hobey!"
Add the lemon juice, continue to simmer until it gets sticky! Add the green cardamom powder (I did not use), stir and continue to cook for another minute! This may take 7-10 minutes at low to medium heat!
Add the roasted mixture & fold in well! Transfer immediately to a plate, preferably square or rectangular in shape! Press to even out, later cut into desired shapes, enjoy the snack bar!
Transfer to a plate and let cool! You cannot allow the palms to burn.... they might be a poet's imagination.... I meant both here! Do not tell me boys cannot make laddoos... not all are like my men.... the world renowned chefs are male too!
Once cool.... take out small portions and shape as you wish!
i liked the write up 😊
ReplyDeletethanks... the food is better..
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