Alu Chochhori and highlights of 2011 summer vacation in India

I have been thinking of this post for quite sometime. To be honest, a very long time. I had promised stories which were never told. I can ramble on about how busy I am and all that but still the fact is that it skipped my mind. Two days back when I was booking our yearly flights to India (summer 2012), it all came back. I am sure I will come back with more stories and more promises to write about them but what happens to the "highlights" of Arno's visit last year?

Arno says:

I went to India last summer (July 2011)--my 7th visit to India. It was also the longest one till date. I was in India for 5 weeks!! Every time I visit India, there is something new. This time it was the heat. All my last six visits were in winter...this was the first time that I went in the summer. Man, THAT was some SUMMER! However, I did not have any problem with it at all. My parents were the ones (inspite of being born and brought up there) who were complaining about the heat, getting all agitated if the AC went off for a minute, drinking lots of cold drinks, taking 3-4 showers a day, grumpy looks and all that....
I was fine. I had fun.
OK, I could not do much outside home because of the intense heat...so I had to be kept busy indoors. I had no problem with THAT! I watched a lot of TV...which I loved . Plus there were so many different "new" things to try out..I did not mind the heat at all...

মামা বাড়ির মজা

গিয়েছিলাম এই ছুটিতে আমার মামাবাড়ি,

কেমন মজা সেথায়, শোন গল্প তার-ই |

মামার বাড়ি ভারী মজা , কিল চড় নাই,

যেটাই বলি চাই, সেটাই তখন পাই |

মা তাকায় কটমটিয়ে, ভীষণ রাগি মুখ, 

দিদা তখন মাকে বকে, দেখেও লাগে সুখ |

সকালবেলা নাইকো তাড়া, কেউ দেয় না ঠেলা,

কেউ করে না চেঁচামেচি, গড়িয়ে গেলেও বেলা |

উঠেই দেখি জলখাবার এ ফুলকো ফুলকো লুচি,

চনমনিয়ে ওঠে জেগে খেয়ে নেবার রুচি |

একটু বাদে বাটি করে রসগোল্লা খান চার,

এক নিশ্বাস এ পুরো বাটি করে দিতাম সাবার|

TV দেখো যখন তখন সোফায় আরাম কোরে,

নিজের হাথে খুশি মতন remoteখানি ধোরে |

তারপরেতে দাদুর সাথে দাবার চালের শুরু,

এই বুঝি দাদু খেলো রাজা, বুক কোরে দুরু দুরু |

আমার ঘোড়া, দাদুর হাথি, কে বা কাকে খায় ,

মাঝে মাঝে ইছে কোরে দাদুই হেরে যায় |

তারপরেতে চানের পালা, বালতি ভরা জল,

সাবান দিয়ে বানিয়ে ফেনা, খুলে দিতাম কল | 

খাবার পাতে মাছের বাহার, কাতলা ইলিশ রুই,

তবু সব ছাপিয়ে লাগলো ভালো, ভাত দিয়ে টক দই |

দেখতে দেখতে ফুরিয়ে গেল এই বছরের ছুটি,

"আসছে বছর আসব আবার" বলে ফিরলাম গুটি গুটি | 
 

It is difficult to put together the whole story of five weeks. So I will give you some of the highlights.

I learnt to cook
Abu(dida) gave me a REAL knife to chop potatoes and then she taught me how to cook the  potato curry which goes with "luchi". Its called "Alu Chochhori". She even made me a proper chef cap. Later on when we all sat down to eat together, everyone praised the chef...yes, me! the potato gravy was delicious. I will share the recipe at the end of this post.
I love to cook. I also cook at home now.

I went into the bucket . Again.
Ma asked me NOT TO go into the bucket when I took my shower.  You know how moms are..Not this..not that..etc. That why God made grandmothers. I had a secret agreement with Abu (dida) to enjoy "as I wish" . She later showed me some photos when I was small and was allowed to take a bath IN the bucket. Why not NOW? Just a few years does not make that much of a difference, does it?

 I played the Indian drums.
So much fun it is. Believe me. Its called a "Khol". You hang it around your neck and then beat both sides with your two hands. The sound it makes is very sweet..loved the experience. I have two options now. I can be the "cool" guitarist in Holland or the "traditional" Khol player in India!!

One thing that I immensely like about India is the amount of attention I get there. Everyone and everything revolves around me..I feel important all the time.
In my dada-r bari (papas parents in Kolkata), its a joint family so there are many people in the house. I love it! I roam around in the house eating chips at Moni Bou's place, watching  TV at RangaBou's place, eating luchi at Munna's place, playing Trominos at my thammis place..I walk up and down the stairs thousand times a day to be at the place which suits me best at that time!. People are constantly asking,
"Where is Arno?" . See how important it makes me feel.....

I had unlimited juicy mangoes properly cut and served with fulko fulko luchi
In summer there are lots of mangoes in India. Dada went to the market every morning to get fresh mangoes for me which was then cut by Thammi or Munna in  small equal cubes , nicely arranged on a dish with a fork and served to me infront of the TV!!Pure luxury!

One good philosophy my mother likes and practices is that she DOES NOT scold me in India..though from time to time she does give me the looks that say, "cholo Holland, tarpor dekhachi moja" (Lets go back to Holland and then you are in my hands again)..but those were rare moments. My father does not believe in any such philosophy, especially in the hot summer!! Hihi...Having said that, I have to admit that he is the one who took me to nice places like Nicco park and South city mall while my mom was having her grand get together with college friends![I live in Holland with my mama and papa..have to keep both happy, you see?]
 
Recipe of Alu-chochori
Warning: Have this with Luchi Only.

Potatoes: 4 (cut into small cubes)
Onion:      1/2   , cut into small cubes (optional)
Tomato:   1  (cut in small cubes)
Green chilli : 1 (cut into very small pieces)
Nigella seeds:  1 tsp
Salt                 : to taste
Oil:                    1 table spoon
Turmeric:      a pinch

Heat the oil in a pan. Add green chilli and the nigella seeds. Let them sizzle for a few seconds and add the onion. Add the potatoes. Cook and toss them for a min and then add the tomato, salt and turmeric. Cook for a few minutes, pour some water, cover and cook. The final texture should be "makha makha".

I repeat: Have this ONLY with luchi.

As the first bite of luchi with this potato-gravy enters your mouth, you experience "heaven"!

.....am preparing myself for more such fun in July......tickets are booked...the count down has just begun.............

Abol Tabol Shopno

Sukumar Ray, has always been one of my favourites. His Bengali "nonsense" literature is unparalleled in its innocence and imagery. Even today, his poems are capable of winning hearts of both young and old. 

We presented Abol Tabol Shopno based on his Abol tabol for the Bengali New Years program in Holland. The show being a hit proved how his work is truly "evergreen" and "generation independent".

Undoubtedly, the star of the  show were the kids...the kids of today....kids born and brought up in Holland..kids aged 5 to 12....kids who are not fluent in Bengali....kids who cannot spontaneously relate to "ram gorur-er chhana"  or "danpite chhele" or a "ahladi"....kids who took time out of their busy routine life to come for rehearsals...kids who tried their best....
Kids who are the best!!!!

These little artists did a fantastic show in a FUNtastic way! 

First of all to expect that they would enjoy performing  to this type of poetry was beyond my expectation, honestly. However, whether it was the week-end rehearsals (where they also got plenty of play time) or the skit around their poems  or the funny explanations or the "rewarding chocolates" after their performances...or Pondit moshais snoring...or Bholas dance steps....whatever....the final result was overwhelming.
I , as the director of the play, am really very proud of you., my kids.

Well done.

The second set of people who did very well were the adults. We, the adults belong to a generation where we grew up with Abol Tabol. Each of us had a copy of this book either recieved as a birthday present or for scoring 80 in maths or from an uncle visiting or some such reason..we all had it. I remember taking my copy to bed ...reading till late at night inspite of the lights being switched off by the strict mom...reading till the torch batteries dimmed inside my blanket. Such was the connection for most of us. This was very visible in the enthusiasm of the adults involved in the play. It felt like going back to our childhood ..aboltabol revisited!

My "Pondit moshai" S, did not have time to memorize the script but he made time to actually order his moustache from Amazon.com.How cool is that?

L ,as my Bhola, though quite subdued during the rehearsals , really blossomed on stage on the final day and showed some dance steps which would put Govinda to shame any day.

S actually hand painted the kids shirts in a matter of days and oh so beautifully. I give her this dress-making-contract for all my future ventures...

R ran around many Hema stores in Holland to get the right T-shirts. I got phone calls in the middle of the day saying, "dayeeta, I got two 122 and one 134 shirts...shall I try the HEMA in Den Haag now?".

T made this wonderful noodles during our rehearsals which was so tasty and so much that the director (in this case, me) offered to take the left overs home. Delicious !!!

K made and remade and re-re-made the music so many times on the CD each time asking, "Dayeeta di, is track 14 the snore or the laugh?".

S readily became the substitute for whoever was absent during rehearsals...dancing to Bholas tunes or snoring as Pondit Moshai....both with equal zeal.

T climbed the stairs to adjust the lights high up in the auditorium...cleverly playing with the colours to  make the class room even more glamorous.

I cannot name all of the team.....but the bottomline was that this was only because all of US related to abol tabol much more than our kids..
We had fun.

I had SUPER FUN writing and directing this play. Look at my beautiful cast below.

It all started as "Let the kids perform something this year for Poyla Boishakh (Bengali New year) ". Since the mention of Sukumar Ray already aroused enough interest, we jumped into this project. I thought instead of solo performances by the kids one by one, it  might be more interesting to weave them into a sort of drama to make it more compact. So the project began. One one hand , I tried to make a script..on the other the kids started memorizing the individual poems under strict supervision of the parents!!
Lets have a quick look at it.......
The setting is that of a village classroom with a "pondit moshai" (teacher) , eight students and a door keeper Bhola. Pondit is only bothered about studies, but also tries to squeeze in  moments of nap (accompanied by thunderous snoring) in between his lectures. The students take advantage of this opportunity to enjoy and do things "out-of-routine". They also slip into a dream mode from time to time thinking about "what-if?"....

We start with Little A who performed "Ram Gorur er Chhana". She has a sweet smile....started off on a shy mode..surprised us all with the final performance where even the actions came pouring out!!
যাঃ বাবা হাসতেও  মানা,
হাসা কত স্বাস্থকর, তাও নেইকো জানা ? 
আমরা কি রাম গরুর এর ছানা ? 
Then came on stage the "naughty boy" (Danpite Chele) A...He is actually not a naughty boy (relatively speaking). I know , hi hi ...I am the mom. Smartly recited the poem and on the final day did not forget to even pull P's hair (as per the script).
আমি দুষ্টু, ডানপিটে  আমি?
জানো তো কাকে বলে আসল দুষ্টামি , তবে শোনো...
Our  next little master A came on stage without a moustache but recited a very long poem 

"Gomph Churi"  about a moustach--amazing how a little kid could memorize it so well...This is when the moustache from Amazon.com glowed in all its glory under the nose of our Pondit moshai..
যাঃ বাবা, এ তো গেছেন ভীষণ রেগে,
ঘুমোছিলেন বেশ , কেন উঠলেন জেগে?
গোমফ জোড়া তার বড়ই প্রিয়, রেগে গেছেন তাই,
এ যে দেখি হেড অফিসের বড়ো বাবু র ভাই !
Aha! Who do we have here? Our little "Ahladi"..With his sweet kid-accent N won all hearts! He was also accompanied by two sweet ladies on both sides...so even more attention!!
মোরা আহ্লাদী , মোরা ফোকলা , মোদের জুড়ি নাই,
যখন পাবে হাসি , তখনই হাসব মোরা তাই 

Thats T --Our little student who tried to solve the mysterious ways of the king of Bombagor by reciting "Bombagor-er Raja"--absolutely fantastic!!

একটা গল্প শুনতে চাই,

যাতে কোনো ঝগড়া নাই,
হাসতে হাসতে পেটে ধরবে খিল,
রাজা রানীর হবে মিল 

Thats P --she flawlessly recited "Bhoy peo na". The tone with which she said "Ami achi ...Ginni achen" still rings in my ears!! - Somehow we all felt that her father T (our talented lightman )taught her the tone!! Super performance!!! 

প্রশ্ন বড়ই উদ্ভট,
এও কি নাকি হয়?
ছয় খানা নাক দেখেও
লাগবে নাকো ভয়? 

Our little man R . He sees good in all things...what a wonderful poem.."Bhalo re bhalo"

  Well done !

এই দুনিয়ার সকল ভাল,
আসল ভাল নকল ভাল, 

কিন্তু সবার চাইতে ভালো...পাউরুটি আর ঝোলা গুড়...

        
How can I forget the two most important people who helped to keep the stage under control?

Pondit moshai and Bhola.

Pondit won the audience with his moustache and his snores and his booming voice...

Bhola's kept the kids in place and his dance steps will be remembered by the audience in the years to come......
.............and last but not the least our tiny-smiley-face R , who did not recite  a solo poem but his presence in the stage added that mischievous feel to the classroom........(eyes closed just beside Bhola)

We enjoyed ourselves....A LOT...

Hope you can  imagine our little artists in action and enjoy too......

Vacation in Normandy.

How does a vacation LOOK like?
Something like this? 

or THIS?

Maybe THIS?

Vacations are made to feel you better. They take you away from home so that the regular dishwasher, cleaner, washing machine, alarm clock and many other such things are out of sight and hence out of mind! This leaves ample space in your mind to be either numb or excited or relaxed...whichever it chooses to do and not forcefully burdened with!

I had the luxury to be in this state of affair during the easter break..(Had planned a longer vacation story but never happened...)
A wonderful relaxed vacation in France.
Amidst grasslands and farm houses, pin drop silence broken from time to time by the chatter of some unknown birds, sunshine ( ok, short but still..) and sweet smelling flowers, kids looking for easter eggs in the garden laughing and running free from the bonds of school and impatient working parents, glasses of lovely french wine being refilled by the men (without even having to ask for it), matching collection of cheese to sooth and massage the taste buds in between sips of the red wine, discussions with friends on any and every topic under the sun without the pressure of coming to a conclusion,clicking away and trying to capture some of these moments in the camera......What MORE do you want from a vacation?
I love vacations. Really. 
I know, so do you.