Those who live
Must continue to live;
That’s their obligation,
Towards Life.
And those who die,
Well, they just die,
No more obligations.
Gone forever.
But that’s where
The catch is.
The living sometimes don’t live,
And the dead often don’t
let go.
—Jasbir Chatterjee
N.B.: My inspiration for this poem came from my one-year-old photo above, thanks to Google Memories.
On 11 November 2023, the eve of Diwali, I got the chance to leave work much earlier than usual. While walking towards my home, I came across this procession (see the pics below) moving on the road quietly.
They were all dressed in whites and looked elegant and dignified. The disquieting part was their banners. They bore quotations from Guru Nanak, but the pics were of some other person; which was what puzzled me the most.
In Sikhism, after the ten Gurus, the eleventh Guru is the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book; our Guru for all times to come. A true Sikh will never accept any other person or entity as a Guru.
But this is India…Sab chalta hai yahan…you can believe in anything, nothing, or everything…There are many gullible people here, unaware of the difference, waiting to be misled.
His eyes shut,
Appearance unkempt,
Unmindful of people milling about,
The garbage littered around,
The vagabond sings
Every day, after sunset,
Mouthing meaningless words,
Continually clinking coins
On a little plate,
Never begging outright…
Some drop coins near him,
But most just walk by…
Who knows
What tomorrow holds
For this gentleman?
Will the big roulette wheel
Turn one day in his favor?
Only time will tell…
This year, in 2023, our Diwali had a special touch. See the pic on top.
Instead of wax candles and oil-filled diyas, we used battery-operated diyas that needed just a tablespoon of water. They turned out to be so easy to use, far safer, with no mess at all.
My maid servant had a pleasant surprise on the next day after Diwali. No oily smudges, no wax deposits requiring so much time and energy to clear.
These diyas are slightly costlier than ordinary diyas (Rs.25 per piece) and last only as long as their batteries do. But that’s okay, I guess. Who re-uses the previous year’s Diwali diyas anyway?
Stay safe, healthy, and happy, dear friends! Happy Diwali and a great year ahead!
The end of Durga Puja is always such a terrible anti-climax…As you can see here…the tents are coming down and the idols are being bundled off…
Being an ex is a terrible thing, really.😪
You don’t need fancy fillings to make fancy sandwiches. That’s one thing I’ve learned after several decades of cooking day in and day out.
On Sandwich Day, 3 November 2023, I experimented with a slightly different variation of a leftover dal sandwich that I made earlier. See the pic on top.
My experiment turned out to be a great success. The sandwiches were delightful and ready in a jiffy.
Here are the step-by-step pics.
1. To half a cup of leftover dal (mung yellow and masur pink) in a bowl, add a tablespoonful of roasted chana powder, one mashed potato, one chopped onion, two chopped green chillies, some chopped green coriander, and some salt as per taste. Stir and mix the ingredients thoroughly. See the pic below.
2. Slather one sandwich with some melted butter and the filling. See the pic below.
3. Cover the bread slice with filling with another bread slice. Place it in a sandwich toaster. Prepare other sandwiches similarly and toast them in a toaster or on a hot tawa. I used a toaster, as it is more convenient. See the pic below.
4. Bring out the sandwiches from the toaster after they become crisp and light brown. See the pic below.
Find out more about my previous leftover dal sandwich here. https://jasbirchatterjeephotoblog.wordpress.com/2023/11/07/leftover-dal-sandwich/
If you’re a sandwich lover, you will love this simple and quick sandwich recipe. You just need some leftovers (a cup each of khichdi and potatoes-cluster beans sabzi). See the pics below.
Method:
1. Blend the khichdi and sabji in a mixer-grinder till you get a coarse paste. See below.
2. Take out the paste in a bowl. Add a table spoonful of roasted chana powder, a pinch of salt, one chopped onion and one green chilli. Add some green coriander too. The roasted chana powder is for extra nutrition and absorbing excess water. See below.
3. Mix well and use this paste as a sandwich filling. Slather bread slices (I used atta bread) with some butter and filling and cover them with bread slices.
4. Toast the sandwiches in a toaster or on a lightly-greased flat. I used a toaster and packed one of them into my office lunch box.
Enjoy! Your innovative sandwich is ready!
Khichdi with a cup of leftover boiled rice…yes, leftover boiled rice works just as beautifully as uncooked rice…I discovered this recently…see the pic above…
Here is the recipe.
1. Wash 2 cups of dal (mung dhuli and masur dhuli, 1 cup each) and keep aside.
2. In a pressure cooker, add 3 teaspoons of desi ghee. When it becomes a bit hot, add half a teaspoon of whole cumin, 1 bay leaf, 4 cloves, 1 small cardamom, whole black peppercorns, and 1 green chili. Then add the washed dals.
3. Stir and then add 1/4 teaspoonful of turmeric powder, half a teaspoon of red chili powder, and salt as per taste. Stir again.
4. Now add the boiled rice (1 cup). Stir for a few seconds. Then add 1 chopped potato, 1 chopped onion, and a chopped tomato.
5. Now add 4 cups of water and stir again. When the water starts boiling, cover the cooker with the lid. Wait till 2 whistles and switch off the gas.
6. Once the cooker cools down, open the lid. Stir again and if needed add some more water as per the desired viscosity and heat to boiling point. Stir again.
Your khichdi is ready!
jasbirchatterjeephotoblog 
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