Allô Chatrath

 कभी हम भी तुम भी जवान थे तुम्हे याद हो के न याद हो!  (Photo 1965)

  I always wanted to have a working knowledge of one or two South Indian languages but I feel embarrassed to say that I never really tried hard enough.  May be it is too late now and it  would remain one of my un-fulfilled desires...

 

      This is a sensitive, thought provoking UNICEF ad. If only the richer countries would pay heed!

Having had the privilege of staying in Odisha for over three and a half decades, and having visited and tasted the food of quite a few foreign countries the world over, I have no hesitation in saying that Odiya cuisine is one of the best in the world.                        A vegetarian Odiya meal. (Photo source: Mayfair Restaurant, Bhubaneswar) I would list out the following as the main characteristics of Odiya cooking: 1.      The food is generally cooked in mustard oil and the original look and taste of the vegetables is maintained 2.      There is very little use of onions and tomatoes- quite unlike the Punjabi cooking. 3.      A spice mixture called Pancha-phutana is used as the main seasoning in most of the dishes. 4.      Spices are freshly ground.   5.      A typical lentil delicacy Dalma cooked with varieties of vegetables is a meal found common in every household. 6.      A soft cheese, Chenna is used widely in the desserts made in Odisha. Chenna-Poda is one suc

   Beauty is not the monopoly of any race, country or area. DISCLAIMER: This is a not for profit blog and no infringement of copyright laws is intended. If some of the published images violate any copyrights, please contact us by email  chatrath@gmail.com and those will be removed immediately with apologies.

                                                           Sioux Chief Long Wolf & family .....   DISCLAIMER This is a Not- For -Profit blog intended for sharing information with those interested in history & culture and no infringement of copyright laws is intended. If some of the published images violate any copyrights, please contact us by email  at chatrath@gmail.com and those will be removed immediately with apologies and/or due credit line given.

  Respectful salute to martyr Ashok Kumar of CRPF who sacrificed his life in Kashmir safeguarding the integrity & sovereignty of India.  JAI HIND!

Those were the days, my friends, we thought would never end (A popular song of our times sung by Mary Hopkins). Yes, it was 54 years back and looks like yesterday. Some IAS batch mates of 1967 batch at Mussoorie Academy...the occassion was Christmas. Those in photo are, from left to right- Ashok Kapur, O.S Chauhan, KJS Chatrath, Munish Satyawadi, Sreenivasan Prabhakaran , Ashok Pradhan & Lalmanzuala.

                         A typical Punjabi meal at Kesar Da Dhaba at Amritsar, Punjab, India.  A Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) by the uninitiated non-Punjabis is "Oh my God, it is so oily. What about cholesterol?'  And the standard answer being ' Cholesterol, Oye oh ki hunda hai Ji? Lao thoda makhan hor pa lavo Ji.  Oye Balle Balle Punjabiyan Di!   (A rough English translation being: Cholesterol, What is that? Come take another dollop of butter. Bravo to the Punjabis). ..... DISCLAIMER This is a Not- For -Profit blog intended for sharing information with those interested in history & culture and no infringement of copyright laws is intended. If some of the published images violate any copyrights, please contact us by email  at chatrath@gmail.com and those will be removed immediately with apologies and/or due credit line given.

Tehri Garhwal or Tehri was a princely state ruled by the Parmar (Shah) dynasty. Later, it became a part of the Punjab Hill States Agency of British India which consisted of the present day Tehri Garhwal District and most of the Uttarakashi district. The ruler was given the title of raja, but after 1913, he was honoured with the title of Maharaja. The ruler was entitled to salutes of 11 guns. The princely state acceded to India on 1 August 1949. .....   DISCLAIMER This is a Not- For -Profit blog intended for sharing information with those interested in history & culture and no infringement of copyright laws is intended. If some of the published images violate any copyrights, please contact us by email  at chatrath@gmail.com and those will be removed immediately with apologies and/or due credit line given.

Richard  Dawkin's 'The God Delusion' shattered my life long held vision of an old, white bearded fatherly figure sitting up there in the outer space, keeping a benign eye on us.... and who could be approached in time of need...Wish I had not read it because now I have nothing to fall back upon for support when I face insoluble, terrible trouble...   The God Delusion is a 2006 book by English biologist Richard Dawkins , a professorial fellow at New College, Oxford                                                                         Richard Dawkins In The God Delusion , Dawkins contends that a supernatural creator, God, almost certainly does not exist, and that belief in a personal god qualifies as a delusion, which he defines as a persistent 'alse belief held in the face of strong contradictory evidence. He is sympathetic to Robert Pirsing's statement in Lila (1991) that "when one person suffers from a delusion it is called insanity. When many people su

 Kamini Kaushal (born Uma Kashyap , 16 January 1927) is a Hindi film and television actress, who is most noted for her roles in films such as Neecha Nagar (1946), which won the 1946 Palme d'Or (Golden Palm) at Cannes Film Festival and Biraj Bahu (1955), which won her the Filmfare Best Actress Award in 1955. DISCLAIMER This is a Not- For -Profit blog intended for sharing information with those interested in history & culture and no infringement of copyright laws is intended. If some of the published images violate any copyrights, please contact us by email  at chatrath@gmail.com and those will be removed immediately with apologies and/or due credit line given.

  Gujarati Thali is an assortment of dishes arranged as a platter for lunch or dinner in restaurants and homes. “Thali” literally means “a full plate meal” or a platter. It consists of various dishes like ringana methi nu shak ( eggplant cooked with fenugreek leaves), Gujarati khatti mithi daal (sweet and sour lentil), undhiyu (mixed vegetable prepared with spinach paste), bhindi sambhariya (ladyfingers curry), aloo rasila (potato and tomato thin curry), steamed basmati rice , badshahi khichdi , Chapati , methi na thepla and bhakhri with kachumber salad along with various types of chutneys . Gujarati thali prepared in Gujarati households has at generally three fresh vegetable dishes, one dry dal or some sprouted pulses dish ( ugaadayla mung , for instance), a wet dal, kadhi , kathor (a savoury), mithai , poori , rotis , steamed rice , chaash and papad . Kathiawadi Thali is a variation of Gujarati Thali. (Text sourced from Wikipedia)

                                   Now that was a dashingly handsome man!   ..... DISCLAIMER This is a Not- For -Profit blog intended for sharing information with those interested in history & culture and no infringement of copyright laws is intended. If some of the published images violate any copyrights, please contact us by email  at chatrath@gmail.com and those will be removed immediately with apologies and/or due credit line given.

  Vintage photo of a distinguished looking Sikh family. Don't miss their shoes and the 'tikka' on the forehead of the little girl! ..... DISCLAIMER This is a Not- For -Profit blog intended for sharing information with those interested in history & culture and no infringement of copyright laws is intended. If some of the published images violate any copyrights, please contact us by email  at chatrath@gmail.com and those will be removed immediately with apologies and/or due credit line given.

  Visit Gujarat. Come, visit my India!                                                                                                              Photo Source: Gujarat Tourism.

A dosai or dosa is a thin pancake or crepe , originating from South India , made from a fermented batter predominantly consisting of lentils and rice. It is somewhat similar to a crepe in appearance. Its main ingredients are rice and black gram , ground together in a fine, smooth batter with a dash of salt, then fermented. Dosas are a common dish in South Indian cuisine, but now have become popular all over the Indian subcontinent and beyond. Dosas are served hot along with chutney by tradition and in recent times, with sambhar. Other accompaniments include chutney powder, a fine groundnut, lentil & chilly powder sometimes called the ‘gunpowder’ for its spicy taste.  

 I may be having a poor opinion of Shahrukh Khan as an actor, but I cant deny that he has millions of fans and admirers.  So here is a vintage photo of him and Ms. Gauri (now his wife), perhaps from their college days.                    This is me with a wooden cut out of Shahrukh Khan on Marina beach, Chennai.  ..... DISCLAIMER This is a Not- For -Profit blog intended for sharing information with those interested in history & culture and no infringement of copyright laws is intended. If some of the published images violate any copyrights, please contact us by email  at chatrath@gmail.com and those will be removed immediately with apologies and/or due credit line given.