Travel Diary - Walks of life

Unknown faces, but I still feel I know them...something which runs common in all..

This montage is for people from various walks of life.

Badal da .. the chop seller at Uttarpara 

Women harvesting rice, Kamshet, Pune

Girl selling Indian flags, pre Republic Day, Vashi, Jan 2023

Key maker lane, near Shivaji Chowk, Vashi

Key-making machine, Vashi

Collage - Restroom Decor

Houston has one of the highest number of restaurants. As one drives across the Westheimer Road, they can find almost all the main stream and some not so well known restaurants! Am not here to talk about the food, but to present some of the glimpses decor, the rest-room decor to be precise!!  If you ask me Why, I will say I have tried to capture the quirkiness! Often these bring a smile on my face!  Here are few of my captures:

Thai Dining at Yipeng Restaurant, Houston

This one from one of the Victorian otels at San Antonio, Hotel Menger. The hotel is more than 150 years old and it does preserve some of the old world charms. There are legends that fortunate folks can even encounter ghosts, but sadly I missed that opportunity

At one of the old town restaurants at Brenham. Brenham is a quaint little town, North West of Houston. We went to a small fun cafe and I did like their interiors!

This one is from La Madeleine, Houston. The interiors ooze French artistry and finesse!

Cold spring is a small town in North East Texas. We took a break here to grab some bites and I saw this:

There are not many Sri Lankan restaurants in Houston, we have one close to our place, Cafe Koottu. Koottu is a traditional Sri Lankan dish, which is made up of shredded pieces of Paratha, tossed with other veggies and spices. This dish also reminded me of Chilaquilla of Mexico. Although the treatments are slightly different, but essentially both the dishes experiment with leftover breads!

Anyway, back to the decor, here I present you with a Sinhalee (or Sri Lankan) mask at an entrance to the restroom.

A walk through the old house

 This October I went home, after almost 2 years. It was a long wait. Sometimes it feels that I have lost the perception of time/date/day. Is it due to COVID or due to the February winter storm or simply due to age?? I don't know..

 The journey took more than 36 hours with long transits, but I finally reached home and I am very thankful for that. Thankful for all the people I have in my life, thankful for all the conversations that I can have with my family and friends..thankful for all the memories we make together.

It was a short trip for about 12 days. The Autumn sun and some late splashes of Monsoon made my days. And in between the Durgapuja festivities, I made couple of trip to the embassy to renew visa for Maa. As we were ferrying from North to South Kolkata, one of the days, we decided to visit Raja Ram Mohan Roy's House. 

The Tell Tale of Halloween

 If I tell you that I plan for the next year's Halloween in a year advance, will you think I am crazy?  But this is true! There is so much to adore about this season and the festival! Somehow the possibilities around a witch, haunted house, full moon, bats and black cat intrigue me a lot!

A day at Sarat Kuthi, Samtabere

I have long harbored the desire of visiting the homes of my favorite authors. To me this is a sort of pilgrimage. To be in the house where those masters lived and to get soaked in those atmospheres is a timeless unique experience.

Till now I have visited mansions of Victor Hugo, Rabindra Nath Tagore, Ernest Hemmingway, Bibhuti Bhushan Bandopadhyay, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Last year I had the opportunity to visit Samtabere, a small quaint village in Howrah - where Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay resided in the last decade of his life.

Although Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay does not need an introduction, but I cannot resist the temptation to introduce him to my readers. Sarat Chandra is a master story teller. His novels and short stories are equally famous among young and grown ups. Many of the novels have been converted to films across different regional languages of India. Different people have their reasons for liking Sarat babu's writing. Sarat Babu lived in the time when caste system was quite predominant amongst the society - but his writings had a humane touch, they are tales of compassion and tales of valor. His canvas lacked any overt agenda, but it had subtle messages.
 Many of  the characters of Sarat Babu have a shade of his personality. Be it Ram or Srikanta or Sabyasachi or Ramesh - the characters  have always raised voice against social oppression, communal conflicts.

Sarat babu was quite sensitive to the struggles and aspiration of women. Although on a first glance the women protagonists look very simple, their lives are tied to daily household chores,  but deep inside they all exude strengths of empathy and courage. 

It was a wet winter morning. As we started our drive, mist engulfed the windscreen. Samtabere is 70 Km South East of Dumdum. Shortly after crossing Bagnan, one of the offshoots from NH 2 goes towards Samtabere. 

I was keen to explore his home. The house built in 1900s has a huge Burmese influence. Sarat babu had spent part of life in Burma ( currently Myanmar).The two storied building has all 4 sides open. 

Manna babu, a veteran ( third generation to serve at Sarat Babu's house) takes care of the house. Although Manna Babu is old, but he was very patient to show and explain the house.  The entrance of the house had encryption from the novel Mahesh. The lines read like this : 

"Allah, punish me as much as you like, but Mahesh died with thirst on his lips. Nobody left the tiniest bit of land for him to feed on. Pray never forgive those their guilt who never let him eat the grass nor drink the water you have given."

Those who have read Mahesh, they know the story still serves a mirror to the society. The love between Gofur and his Mahesh still exists and embarassingly, the hatred between man to man still exists as well.

The two storied house was originally made up of mud. A huge sprawling garden lies all around the house. As the wind caressing the stem,the bamboo shoots was carving out a music. Long back,the river Rupnarayan used to flow next to the house, but now with time, the river has drifted away. A small pond lies in front of the house. Life in Samtabere is still very simple - villagers often come down to wash their dishes or fish in the pond. Manna Babu told us that Kartik and Ganesh, the famous fishes in "Ramer Sumati" used to reside in this pond. Also the Guava tree which was mentioned in Ramer Sumati, lies at the entrance to the house ( a replica at the original position).

On side of the long verandah at the ground floor, lies Sarat babu's writing room. The desk, long arm chair are still there. A small window opens to the garden. I could conjure up a hot summer afternoon and Sarat babu at work on his desk. The living room features some of the items used by the author - his bed, book shelf, medicine cabinet, family deities. The wall clock still works faithfully.

On the back side of the house, there is a granary and a small kitchen. 

Sarat Babu used to be president of Indian National Congress, Howrah district. His house was an important meeting place for the freedom fighters.

As we thanked Manna Babu and went down the red path, I realized how much this trip meant to me. Deep down inside me, there was a sense of happiness and peace. As we passed through the dusty roads and negotiated our way past thundering trucks, the mind kept wandering back. To the world where Sabyasachi, Indranath, Ram reigned. To the house where Subhash Chandra Bose , Chittaranjan Das used to pay visit. Silently I paid my tribute to Sarat Babu.

Tricky Halloween!

I read this somewhere, " don't seek happiness in the next job or next vacation, the power of happiness is in NOW " and it resonates so much with my current state. I almost commute 60 miles every day for work, then I have two days of evening class at the University of Houston. But I am thankful for everything, for all the people in my life and all the opportunities I have.

 And amidst all the commute, grind of graduate studies, there are small nuggets of happiness!

This year, the Halloween celebration at Houston was more on a " trickier" side. The day started with light drizzle, but as the hours progressed it started looking dark. At around 4 pm Tornado warnings were issued. Severe storms and cold front engulfed the city. Afternoon rains already produced 2 to 3 inches of water in several locations. By the time I reached the university for my evening classes, several entrance to the University of Houston were getting closed due to rising waters.

By the time our classes got over, thankfully the flood waters had receded and I could go back home safely.

The Halloween parade at Lil S's school was done a week before the actual Halloween and it was indeed a sunny day, perfect for trick-o-treat.

This year I was running short of ideas ( and lack of time) and finally had to settle for a very simple Jack-o-Lantern costume.

The students did a parade and danced with some musical numbers and exchanged goody bags!

I love how this small project turned out! I have promised myself to include more creativity for next year. 

I know I am late..but still wishing you all , Boo Hoo, my bright Jack'o Lantern is here!!

Saving memories - remembering grandma

 Have you ever wanted to freeze something in time? Moments like when your baby wraps his arm around your necks and asks : Mamma am I your best friend? Or the letter from your parents when you were feeling lonely in a new city? I wish there was a way to re-play those moments. Sometimes memories are like warm blankets, of love, kindness and warmth.

Few months back I came across an old family trunk and was sweetly surprised by the heirloom inside. I looked at the embroidery works made by my mother-in-law and the other ladies of the house. White work embroidery seems very intricate and I admire the patience and diligence that goes in the process. I also have the embroidery hook and the scissors used by my mother -in-law.

Have you ever wondered to give life to an embroidery in a new way? I wanted to preserve and showcase the works made by my grand mother-in-law. Memory box is a delightful way to store family heirloom and pass on to the next generation. I got this memory box from Michaels.

But as I was framing the embroidery I thought I could add another dimension to the story by adding a background element. What if, if I conjure the lady who created these pieces? A simple cardboard cut out of a woman, some poster color, a tiny - weeny piece of fabric and some embroidery set the stage.The idea of making small figures to depict the real life came from Krishnanagar dolls.  Since this summer my mother was with me, she helped to draw the figure and paint it.

I treasure the work of my mother and grand mothers. My paternal grandmother ( Amma)  made quilts not only for me, but for my dolls as well! Some of those quilts are tattered and well worn while others are in perfect condition. My mother taught me to sew when I was around 10 years old. The love for fabric and thread has never dwindled ever since then. 

What is your happiest memory with your grandparents?