My Love for Theater (JADAVPUR SPANDAN NATYO SANGHA)

I always love to be on stage whether front or back it doesn't matter. I respect it. I love it. But a time came in my life when I have to leave the stage. I never thought that I would get the chance to do work on stage again. I always love to write whatever comes to my mind. My friend Sraban gave me an opportunity to write subtitle for his short film Mukti ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mG1mtIxZEo ). Then I met Abheek Chattopadhyay. He invited both of us to experience the theater. I never watched theater. I had no expectations. But what I experienced I could not express it through words. Thanks to Abheek Chattopadhyay ( https://www.facebook.com/abheek08/ ). 

Now I want to take you to an insight journey of my Theater Life.....  

JADAVPUR SPANDAN NATYO SANGHA

I could not say enough thanks to Abheek for introducing me to his own group Jadavpur Spandan Natyo Sangha ( https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100011648863413 ). We lovingly call it JSNS.  

ASH-MIL

23rd JANUARY, 2016

Place: Sujata Sadan

Directed by Saikat Chakraborty

I lost myself for two hours. ASH-MIL was a heroic saga based on Pandit Ram Prasad Bismil (Abheek Chattopadhyay) and Ashfaqulla Khan (Spandan Mukherjee). This story compares the two generation of the same country and depicts how the youth have changed in the course of time. The drama celebrates the patriotism of the unfamiliar heroes of our country who hang themselves happily for the sake of our country. From that very day I fall in love with theater. I know that I wouldn't miss a single show of JSNS. I keep my promise till now. Though I am not an audience right now.

 AFTAB

19th MAY, 2016

Place: Tapan Theater

Directed by: Saikat Chakraborty

A 44 year old professor, Aftab Choudhury (Abheek Chattopadhyay) rebels against the odd without caring his age. He sticks what he believes. Even when the darkest time came in his life he didn't lost his hopes and clutched his faith. His love for the language won everyone's heart. His eternal love for language brings him into the light.

SITA-VOG

24th SEPTEMBER, 2016

Place: Jogesh Mime Academy

Directed By: Saikat Chakraborty

Assistant Director & Choreographer: Pralipta Mukherjee

Sita-Vog is a battle of existence. This metaphysical drama revolves around the existence of every women. The struggle begins from the beginning of civilization. Every women had to fight for their own rights. But we hope for a new day at the end of every dark night. The plot is divided into two parts. One part is whirling around the life of Janhavi (Pralipta Mukherjee) and Raghuram (Abheek Chattopadhyay). Another part of the play is circulating around the life of Sita (Swagata Sen) and Lord Rama (Devrup Sengupta). These two parts meet at one point and create a saga of existence. 

*** for the updates of our upcoming works please stay tuned with our official facebook profile. 

A Small Story (Sign of Love)

Chapter 4
SIGN OF LOVE
June 20, 2017
The Girl refused The Boy's proposal. She wasn't ready yet. The Boy was disheartened. But he didn't give up. They started talking a lot after that day. They talked everyday about everything. The girl realized that she couldn't hear his name with other girls. She was jealous. She found it funny as it also happened earlier. When there was hardly any connection between them, The Girl used to feel jealous seeing his pictures with other girls. She didn't know the reason. What she knew by heart that she couldn't resist herself to think of him. Honestly, she didn't expect she would end up liking him so much after refusing him. She realized it was not so simple as she thought it would be. The Girl thought that they would never meet again after that day but destiny turned her way. She found him whichever path she chose to walk. She was confused. She was scared. Though somewhere deep in her heart she was happy. That person who appears out of nowhere in her life, in just couple of days The Boy means world to her. She wonder constantly if he still thought about her the way she thought of him now. The Boy proved her wrong every time. She knew that she lost her heart. The Girl was trying so hard to hide her feelings for him. But she at last surrendered herself and said him the three magical words "I LOVE YOU".

RED BAMBOO SHOOT

I am not a professional but certainly I am a food lover. I love to try new dishes from the menu. Sometime I failed but I get reward too. So, I am going to review the restaurant named Red Bamboo Shoot. It situated in Boral Main Road, Garia. Its not too old to have a history. It is very new and fancy kind of a restaurant. I have visited this restaurant several times but this time I was there as a Food Blogger.

Cuisine

It serves only authentic Chinese and Tibetan cuisine. I was quiet astonished that it truly sticks to the authentic cuisine. Generally the Chinese food I have in other restaurants were really disappointing. They mixed Indian spices to their recipes. Red Bamboo Shoot really took a brave move to make the dishes by sticking true to the real recipe. They also serve some really awesome beverages and desserts.

Interior

Interior plays an important role to create the perfect environment for the visitors. Use of right colors and lights make a good impression on the customers. Food business is not all about the taste. It is about attracting the customers too. Here, Red Bamboo Shoot really pushes itself. Wonderful Decoration makes your mind calm and set your mood for the food. 

Starter

I ordered as my starter 

Crispy American Corn Taichin Sauce

1. Crispy American Corn Taichin Sauce - Rs. 170/-:

It is too much for one or two persons. I can assure you you can share it with four to five persons. The corns are sweet and crispy. Taichin sauce has a sour and tangy taste with some green spring onions and some garlics. Its a very nice starter. I was almost full with this one dish. But I truly satisfied with quality and quantity of the food. 

R.B.S Special Soup (Non-Veg)

2. R.B.S Special Soup (Non-Veg) - Rs. 160/-:

I just totally fall in love with this soup. It satisfied my each and every taste bud. Certainly the best dish of the day. The prawn chips come as the complementary with the soup. It has so many textures. It has chicken, prawn, spring onion, carrots, egg, and garlic. And the chips added the required crispy texture to it. It is a must taste dish if you visit here.

Main Course

I ordered as my main course

1. R.B.S Special Fried Rice (Veg) - Rs. 160/-:

I don't prefer to have mixed or chicken fried rice. I always order veg one. I think if my rice became heavy I could hardly enjoy my side dishes. Here I order the R.B.S Veg Special Fried Rice. It has a smoky taste. If you like your rice to be smoky you will enjoy it. The rice is too light that your tummy will certainly be happy with it. The quantity and the quality is satisfying.

2. Quai-Zhou Chicken (10 Pieces) - Rs. 220/-:

If you want to taste sweet, sour, slightly spicy and tangy flavor in your chicken dish then this dish is ultimate choice for you. All the flavors are balanced quite well. Chunks of Onion and Spring Onions added a texture to it. 

Dessert

I was too full to order the dessert or any kind of beverage. Though I had tried some of their beverages and desserts another day but not on this particular day. I will surely make a blog on the beverage and dessert when I will visit there next time. 

Quality and Quantity

I really love the food quality and quantity. Both are equal impressive. 

Staff 

All the staffs including the manager is so helpful. They are very gentle. They describe the dishes with details. They will ask about your views after serving each and every new dish.  

Price

Price is reasonable here. 

My View

Overall I was satisfied with everything. I visit this places several times. I highly recommend this restaurant to you if you want to have Chinese or Tibetan Food. 

***This is not a paid promotion. I paid for my meal.  

RAJMA CHAWAL

RAJMA CHAWAL

Food is a very important part of my life. It gives me happiness. I generally love to eat spicy food. But in this scorching summer I really don't like to have heavy spicy food. I was thinking to make something which would be light but tasty. I badly wanted to make a one meal dish which would vanish my hunger as well as make me healthy. So, the first name of comfort food came into my mind was Rajma Chawal. Though I didn't want to make it in traditional way. Its too heavily spicy (Too much tasty too). I got inspired by my Bengali Cuisine. I decided to make in a less spicy manner.
I always tries to make dishes from the ingredients available in my kitchen. I really don't believe that you need a lot of things from the market to make something delicious. Delicious food can be made by the ingredients available in your kitchen.
So no more lecture now. Back to the topic and let's check the ingredients:

INGREDIENTS: 

1. Basmati Rice (Optional)
2. Rajma or Kidney Beans (Soaked for 10-12 hours)
3. Finely Chopped Onion
4. Ginger Paste
5. Garlic Slices (If you want to make paste you can do)
6. Tomato Puree
7. Coriander
8. Deseeded Chilies
9. Turmeric powder
10. Cumin
11. Red Chili Powder
12. Coriander Powder
13. Cumin Powder
14. Garam Masala
15. Mustard Oil

PROCESS:

1. Clean the Rajma and cook it under pressure cooker till 4-5 whistles are given out.

2. Drain and reserve the flavorful water for use.

3. Put a pan on the stove and heat 2 table spoon of Mustard Oil.

4. Next, add Cumin seeds, Turmeric Powder, Red Chili Powder, Coriander Powder and Cumin Powder (Add spices according to the quantity of Rajma).

5. Saute it for 2-3 minutes and then add diced Onions, Ginger paste and slices of Garlic. (I personally like the bite of garlic that's why sliced it. If you don't then paste it) 

6. Saute it for another 4-5 minutes. 

7. Add Tomato Puree to it and mix it again.

8. Add the Rajma and the reserve liquor.

9. Adjust the taste if required

10. Mash the mixture and stir it well.   

11. Finally add chopped Coriander,  Deseeded Chilies (just for the flavour) and Garam Masala. 

12. Serve the Rajma hot with Basmati Rice.

TRAVEL BLOG || DIGHA

Holiday is My Hapinez

Holiday is a perfect medicine to cure your boredom. Also, I must say that its necessary to give some time to yourself and your loved ones too. We are always very much busy in our daily routine. Hardly have anytime to look at the sky or at the person who is looking for your attention. If you can't find enough time to enjoy a long holiday don't be dishearten. Moreover, don't make excuses. A small holiday at the end of the week is an ultimate solution for all of these problems. 

People who live in West Bengal have a great privilege as nature gifted them so many places for this kind of holiday such as Digha, Tajpur, Mandarmoni, Sankarpur, Talsari, Sundarban etc. The names are endless. 

My Holiday Experience

OLD DIGHA SEA BEACH

After some back to back shows we really deserve a break. That's why a sudden plan was made. And within some few hours we all agreed and decided our destination which was Digha. It was not far from Kolkata. It was in our budget and within the reach too. Therefore, we decided to go there by bus from Esplande. The fare of the A/C bus was 300 bucks. It was nice and comfortable. We left Kolkata at around 11.15 PM on Friday and reached Digha at 4 o'clock on Saturday. We didn't book hotel though we had searched a lot in the most popular websites. Most of them were not available. So we were quite disappointed. But we didn't stop our feet to go there.

Kahini Lodge (Old Digha)

KAHINI LODGE

We were fortunate enough that in Kolkata we found a helpful OLA Driver who gave us a number of his son-in-laws's hotel named KAHINI LODGE. It is situated just behind the Old Digha Police Station. When we reached there we had a lot of doubt in our heads as we were really clueless. But as we proceeded according to the path of Rabi da (The Manager of the Kahini Lodge) we discovered a bouquet of hotels and lodges there. So if websites are failed to find you hotels in Digha then the narrow road beside the Old Digha Police Station is right place for you. You'll find so many good hotels out there. Our destination was Kahini Lodge. When we entered the lodge it was almost 5 o'clock but still he showed us the room. We were seven in number and required two double bed room but the check out time was at 9.30 AM so we had to wait for another room. One more good thing about Kahini Lodge is the rooms and bathrooms were very clean. The staffs were very friendly. After four to five hours journey that room of the hotel gave us comfort.  

ROOM IN KAHINI LODGE

Meanwhile we decided to go on the sea shore and had our breakfast. It was a lovely morning. There was no din and bustle of the city and no workload on the mind. We all were relaxed and happy. 

Sea Beach of New Digha

NEW DIGHA BEACH

After satisfying our hunger we couldn't hold back ourselves to jump into the sea. We came back in hotel and left our necessary items in the room. Then we were ready for our ultimate journey to sea beach. It was already decided that we would enjoy our bathe at New Digha Sea Beach. So we hired a Toto from Old Digha. It took 10 rupees per head. It took 5 minutes to reach New Digha Beach. We hit the beach enthusiastically. The first splash of water was bliss. All the tensions, anxiousness and tiredness was vanished. Only Sea can provide you such a joyful moment and the feeling of ultimate satisfaction. Each and every element of  nature is present there to hug you. We made the most out of it.

After 1 hour or 2 we came back hotel by toto. We washed ourselves. Then our hungry stomach became furious. We left our hotel to have our lunch although Kahini had their own canteen if you order then they will make it. We wanted to eat outside. And here we made a MISTAKE. It was so hot outside. The sun was blazing on our head. The restaurant which we selected to have our lunch was too bad to eat. Every item was so spicy and full of red chili powder. We could hardly enjoy our lunch. we returned to our hotel and stayed there for the whole afternoon. At 5 o'clock we decided to go to Talsari and Udaypur.

Talsari

TALSARI BEACH

Talsari is 8.2 km from Digha. We hired a toto and left for Talsari. Talsari is in Odisha. We had to cross the border of West Bengal and Odisha. When we reached there the sky was dark. It was lightening. And the beach of Talsari was calm. I hardly could hear the sound of sea. But the surroundings are beautiful. The mild breeze would definitely cure your tiredness. we had to left the place as the sudden change in climate changed our plan too. We turned down our decision to go to Udaypur. On that same toto we returned to Old Digha. The weather showed us its worst face. We went to our hotel. Because of that very bad lunch experience outside the hotel we came to a decision to have our dinner in the hotel room. Trust me, the food was awesome. Specially Aloo Posto won our heart. 

The next day we woke up too late in the morning. We had our bed tea and all of us agreed to have our breakfast on New Digha Beach. So just after the breakfast we could hit the beach without wasting any time. It was our last day in Digha. So we had done so much fun on the beach. After spending 2 hours on the beach we came back to our hotel. We were happy with our dinner last night so we resolved to have our lunch in hotel. 

After having our lunch our next destination was Amrabati Park in New Digha. We hired a open van. The fare was 10 bucks per head.

Amrabati Park

AMRABATI PARK

Amrabati Park gives you a natural treatment to your eyes. Its greenery and the picturesque beauty makes it a worthy place to visit. The entry fare is 5 bucks. The tickets for Rope-way and Paddle boat are available inside the park. The fare of cable car ticket is 54 bucks per head. The fare of paddle boat depends on the time you spend in the water. We spent a good 25 minutes on a paddle board. We thoroughly enjoyed the ride. After that we had some fuchka outside the Amrabati Park and spent some quality time at New Digha Beach.  

With a heavy heart we said parting words to New Digha Beach. That was our last night in Digha. We returned to Old Digha. We booked our tickets from Digha to Esplande. The fare was 270 bucks. We spent the whole evening and the night in our hotel. We danced and sang and did all kind of fun to make our trip a memorable one. 

Next morning we checked out from our hotel at 10 o'clock. Our bus was at 12 pm. So after having lunch we had some time to sit on the Old Digha Beach. 

At last the time came and we had to go to the bus stop. With a broad smile on our face we said Good Bye to Digha.     

at

A Small Story (Meeting)

Chapter 3
THEY MET
April 24, 2017
Yes, they finally met. He was looking at her with anticipation. But The Girl was staring at the ground. She could not have the courage to lift her eyes. They hesitated. They couldn't start the conversation. The Boy gave her a chocolate. She smiled while receiving it. She was going through a turmoil. She did not know from where she should start. They decided to go to a restaurant. The Boy initially started the conversation. He tried to make her comfortable. The Girl was appreciating his efforts. They reached their destination. The Girl was still gazing at the floor. After ordering the menu he asked The Question. She took a deep breath. She looked at him for the first time. Their eyes met. The Boy eagerly wanted to know The Answer while The Girl had no answer. She told him that She was going through a tough time. She needed some time to sort out her own life. She expressed her heart out. She read the lines from the pages of her heart. She told The Boy that she liked and respected him a lot but she did not think of him the way he wanted.

He asked the girl what was the matter? He anxiously asked her if he was not worthy. The Girl answered that any girl would be lucky to have him but she was not ready yet. The Boy could not understand her. He asked The Same Question again and again. The Girl Had nothing to say.  

A Small Story (THE GIRL)

Chapter 2
THE GIRL
April 16, 2017
He was busy with his shooting meanwhile the girl lost her sleep. She kept rehearsing the lines. Still she was totally confused. She was searching for the right words in her mind's dictionary. She did not want to hurt him too. But also her intention was not to sow false hope in his heart.She was not sure about him fully either. She was not fully convinced yet. It was very true that she liked him and respected him a lot. But this sudden proposal shook her entire world. For her he was a star from a far galaxy where he was always surrounded by many more bright objects. And she was merely an admirer of him. It was like a dream for her which was almost like a castle in the air.

She was waiting for the sun to bring light. She stood in front of the mirror. She knew what she was going to do. She smiled while looking at the mirror. THE GIRL was waiting for THE BOY.