Allô Chatrath

  Odisha is one place you must visit before you die!

  Last year I had gone to meet my son who stays in a small place called Sitla in Nainital district of Uttrakhand, India. Then suddenly Covid came and everything got frozen. I was there for the next 4 months. It was a lovely place in fruit orchards at 7200 ft elevation. I started taking walks in the area when Covid restrictions so permittted. Suddenly one day I stumbled upon this small rock. To me it seemed to resemble the face of an alien, as I imagine aliens look like. Quite sadly and foolishly after taking this photograph I threw away that 'alien faced rock'.

  Coffee Table Book on glossy paper with original photographs. Available on payment.   Coffee Table Book on glossy paper with original photographs. Available on payment.

 

     ..... 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.

  These braves of the Indo-Tibet Border Police sacrificed their lives defending the unity and integrity of India. JAI HIND

  I visited 'El Museo del Oro (Gold Museum),  in Bogota, Colombia.   In fact there are a number of Gold Museums in various cities of Colombia, some of which I visited. My interest in this museum at Bogota, which is the largest of its kind in the world, was kindled way back in 1973 when I read Erich Von Deniken's 'Gold of the Gods'. This book "unveils new evidence of an intergalactic ‘battle of the gods’ whose losers retreated to, and settled, Earth. He explores a vast, mysterious underworld of Ecuador-caves filled with gold and writings in solid gold that go back to the time of the Great Flood, bolstering von Daniken's theory of a prehistoric earthly ‘era of the gods.’" This book is available on the internet and those interested may like to access it at  http://ufo-research.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/erich_von_daniken_the_gold_of_the_gods.pdf Back to the Museum now. Happily I was given a complimentary ticket,  bei...

  Which are my bete-noires on Tv?  (1) I am tired of seeing Amitabh Bachhan in ads trying to sell practically everything  (2) I find Kapil Sharma shows to be totally lacking in good taste and at times treating women with disrespect  (3) I consider 'Tarak Mehta Ka Olta Chasmah' to be the most crude serial on TV, and, last but not the least  (4) 'Big Boss' to be really senseless......   And yes, besides all these, I just cant stand Karan Johar!

   Photo courtesy Shatarupa Mishra and Abhishek Tripathy.  Having spent half of my life is Odisha, I can say with certainty that Odiya cuisine is one of the best in the world- far superior to the highly over rated French cuisine. Of course my favourite cuisine continues to be Panjabi food- food of the state to which I belong. But I would without doubt put Odiya cuisine at number two. Having left Odisha over 18 years back, I pine for Odiya food. In fact I realised the greatness of Odiya food after leaving the state. Delhi does not have good Odiya eating places. Or till recently it did not have one. Now my friends Shatarpua Mishra & Abhishek Tripathy inform that a resturant in Saket New Delhi is serving authentic Odiya food. It is called 'Odisha Hotel'. In the meantime take a look at a photo shared by Shatarpua Mishra & Abhishek Tripathy of the food served there.    I have been there a few times as a full paying customer and found the...

    Prince Alexander, Princess Sofia, Prince Julian, Prince Carl Philip and Prince Gabriel (Credit: Elisabeth Toll/Royal Court of Sweden) Oh, these Swedes are so good looking!

   One of my all time favorite songs ‘Tere hoye savere darshan aj din vadhiya lang ju ga’ by Jassi Sidhu. The lover says that he has had a chance to see his beloved in the morning, so his day is going to be great. Simple lyrics and peppy Punjabi music. Oye Balle Balle ji. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AVfv0ZuOBA

 

Hear this pretty young lady reecite Daag Dehlavi in such a charming way........ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05QIWNuUhp4  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utD-0E0__ug

 

  Though the Moghul Emperor Babur did not like many things of India, he conceded that mangoes were something special. This is what he wrote about mangoes in his ‘Baburnama’: Mango (anba in Persian) is one of the fruits peculiar to Hindustan. The Hindustanis pronounce the ‘b’ in its name as though it as though no vowel followed it (i.e. anb in Sanskrit). This being awkward to utter, some people call the fruit as Khwaja Amir Khusrau Kukuldash, the poet, does, ‘Our fairling , the beautifier of bustan (orchard), the fairest fruit of Hindustan…’. And he went on to write ‘…Mangoes, when good, are very good. But of the many that are eaten, few are first rate. They are usually plucked unripe and plucked in the house. Unripe, they make excellent condiments, are good also preserved in syrup. Taking it altogether, mango is the best fruit of Hindustan…’ It is fashionable to do a lot of Ooh and Aah about alphonso mangoes. I for one am not fond of alphonso mangoes. In...

   ..... 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.

 

  Photo source: https://www.chicksandtrips.net/cimitero-monumentale-di-milano/ The Last Super. Campari Family- Photo by Ivan Stesso, Wikipedia

 

   By Franz Xaver Winterhalter, 1854  Photo source:  https://www.rct.uk/collection/913342/maharajah-duleep-singh-1837-1893