tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-121449792024-03-07T13:08:54.222-08:00tik-tikian A-Z introduction to life-in-kolkata T!DB!Ts Of ChAOs
from a gecko-on-the-wall point of view...please file in alphabetical order yourself!tik-tikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00419233204373567824noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144979.post-89231258823812419452011-10-11T19:38:00.001-07:002011-10-12T17:18:00.644-07:00B is for BICYCLE<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 10px 0; padding: 0;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/6197437687/" title="portable tea shop. parked and ready to start the evening shift."><img alt="portable tea shop. parked and ready to start the evening shift. by dalbhat" height="240" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6169/6197437687_b6f7263249.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/6197437687/">portable tea shop. parked and ready to start the evening shift.</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/">dalbhat</a> on Flickr.</span></div>In Kolkata, bicycles are used in a huge variety of ways, not just to move individuals from Point A to Point B. <br />
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As I look around the roads, I notice more clearly the extent to which cycles are used for delivery and transport. In fact, due to the fact that it is the cheapest way to move around, a huge number of deliveries are done on the bicycle: bread, water, milk canisters, gas cylinders, heavy brick loads, municipal waste, empty water bottles, furniture and other gargantuan loads and materials. <br />
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Many vegetable sellers bring their vegetables from rural areas into local city markets on their cycles and often the cycle is fashioned into a cart from which the vendor can then sell off of. Many tea shops are cycle-based so that the chai wallah can easily come and set up in their favorite location each day. There are many cases where the cycle carries a shop at the back or front and the rider sets up in different areas to sell right off of the cycle. The ice cream seller who pedals an ice chest and awning in front is one such example. The cycle rickshaw is also a very common sight on the roads here, a pedal-powered cart is used to carry school children or to carry people/goods short distances around neighborhoods. <br />
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Unfortunately, the promotion and acknowledgment of cycles as an eco-friendly alternative is not really promoted here. It is still due to economic reasons that people choose to transport people and goods by cycle. A campaign that promotes cycles and rewards those pedal-powering them would be a positive way to raise awareness that cycles are a green choice. <br />
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Next time you ride, be sure to thank the cycle rickshaw wallah for going green!</div>tik-tikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00419233204373567824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144979.post-25983522166714171682009-07-19T21:28:00.001-07:002009-07-19T21:28:43.143-07:00S is for SHARANSHI<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/3217588060/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3308/3217588060_eef49399c4_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/3217588060/">DSCF8099</a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/tik-tiki/">dalbhat</a></span></div>A Bengali kitchen wouldn't be complete without this instrument. What do you think it is used for?<br /><br />Although I have mastered the use of this implement, on days when it goes amok and I find myself swabbing hot liquids from the kitchen floor I feel that it is the nemesis of life in Calcutta. Whose brilliant idea was this little contraption anyway????!!!<br /><br />On better days, I love this thing because it means the contents of all these pots without handles can be placed into the fridge straightaway. Whose brilliant idea was this little contraption anyway! It should be distributed worldwide....<br clear="all" />tik-tikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00419233204373567824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144979.post-70233919074755522162009-01-22T01:01:00.001-08:002009-01-22T01:01:09.641-08:00D is for DUNG CAKES<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/3182824349/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3083/3182824349_601baf37e9_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/3182824349/">DSCF7977</a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/tik-tiki/">dalbhat</a></span></div>I have been fascinated by these little fuel disks since the moment I set foot on Indian soil. The efficiency with which they are collected excites the recycler in me. The huge range of uses makes me curious: besides being used as a fuel and fertilizer, they are also used to plaster rural home walls and as insect repellents.<br /><br />My husband told me that when we was small, they would brush their teeth with the ash left over in the stove after buring cow dung. Put some on their finger and brush. It has an abrasive quality and is said to also be antiseptic.<br /><br />The beautiful patterns...a collage of hand pat prints on each round cake as rows and neat little rows are smacked up onto walls, fences, trees – any place where the sun will shine and dry them out ...evokes a feeling comparable to what I get when I look at Warhol's soup cans.<br /><br />Recently, I've even heard that one group is "fortifying" the cakes, packaging them and selling them as safer fuel that isn't harmful to the environment.<br clear="all" />tik-tikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00419233204373567824noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144979.post-10214842856970093262008-01-11T02:19:00.001-08:002008-01-20T20:45:03.690-08:00G is for GUR<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/2182469046/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2178/2182469046_d0eebf9467_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/2182469046/">winter jaggery</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/tik-tiki/">dalbhat</a> </span></div>It is gur season, melt in your mouth gur. <br /><br />Gur is a coarse, unrefined sugar made from the sap of certain palm trees known as khejur, and popular as an alternative to white sugars throughout the winter season.<br /><br />In the mishti dokhan (sweet meat shops) everyone raves about the 'notun gur' treats that come in around this time of year. At the fruit sellers you can buy it in a syrup form or a sugar lump.<br /><br />A slit is made in the khejur tree at night and a container is hung under this for collection. Early in the morning, you can enjoy khejur er rash, the sweet juice from this. To make gur from this juice it is boiled completely til all the yeast and bacteria are gone. A syrup or crystallized form can be made depending on the length of this process. As the day goes by, the rash will ferment and turn into what is called taari, an alcoholic drink.<br /><br />Something I have done with the crystallized gur is to make sesame candies by roasting the sesame in a hot pan first and then melting the gur lump into that. Then, you spread the whole mixture into a pan and cut it up like fudge candy.<br clear="all" />tik-tikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00419233204373567824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144979.post-86327618515005023992007-10-10T17:46:00.001-07:002007-10-10T17:46:08.223-07:00P is for PAYESH<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/1537922972/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2098/1537922972_210c4d0a24_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/1537922972/">sweet payesh</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/tik-tiki/">dalbhat</a> </span></div>Nowadays birthday cakes have joined the ranks of Bengali birthday fare but not so long ago when a little girl or little boy’s birthday came around in Kolkata, you would be more likely to see mothers or grandmothers lovingly preparing a richly sweet rice pudding dish known as payesh than buying a store bought cake. Actually you will usually get both in these times!<br /><br />The rice that is often used for payesh is a tiny-grained rice known as Govindabog, "the only sustenance worthy of being offered to Prince Govinda.” This grain is similar to a baby basmati as it has a nice aroma and is said to have been revered by the Moghuls who built the Taj Mahal, reserved for honored guests.<br /><br />Even though it's small, it's really considered a long-grain rice because its length-to-width ratio is 3:1. It's size makes it quick to cook, so perfect for payesh where it needs to be cooked up in the milk.<br /><br />Though the recipe will vary from household to household, you can follow something like this to get the feeling (and hopefully taste):<br /><br />Bengali-style Payesh<br /><br />3/4 cup short grain rice (Govindabog)<br />4-1/4 cups milk<br />bay leaf<br />1/2 cup sugar<br />2 tbsp cardamon<br />12 cashew nuts<br />10-15 Raisins<br /><br />Soak the rice in water for 15 minutes. Heat the milk on medium flame. Slowly add sugar to the milk and keep stirring. When the milk starts to boil, add the rice slowly to it. Remember to keep stirring the milk continuously. After about 20-25 minutes, when the milk has thickened and the rice grains have become soft, add the cardamon – stir gently. Remove the container from flame and add almonds sliced into half and raisins on top. Cool the payesh and keep it in refrigerator for a couple of hours. Serve chilled.<br /><br />Happy Birthday to you!<br clear="all" />tik-tikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00419233204373567824noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144979.post-46782385547562712682007-08-22T20:19:00.001-07:002007-08-24T17:03:55.545-07:00G is for GEMSTONES<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/1209012686/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1316/1209012686_4be57fe60f_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/1209012686/">astrorings</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/tik-tiki/">dalbhat</a> </span></div>These heavily laden knuckles are not just a fashion statement...although for a long time that's what I thought. It is hard not to notice that just about everyone has these rings on! I started asking some questions. Major life transitions will often lead a person to sport a new rock or metal on their hand or around their arm. For example, students may suddenly have them on their fingers in order to concentrate and do well on exams, newlyweds have them to learn how to manage their temper and get in sync with their new partner, a graduate may wear one to bring in prosperity. And if you ask, you nearly always get the reply that someone else (Ma?) insisted that they see an astrologer, who treated them with a specific remedial gem.<br /><br />Here, according to Vedic astrology, gems ward off the evil effects of planets and enhance the benefits of certain beneficial planets, while also adding to someone's beauty and character. Gems are thought to have curative powers, and are able to "change the stars" in someone's direction. If you need help in keeping the mind calm, increasing income or greatly reducing wasteful expenditures, there should be a gem remedy for you. <br /><br />I agree that they do indeed add to the wearer's character and personality. <br clear="all" />tik-tikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00419233204373567824noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144979.post-16221761491807340562007-08-13T09:41:00.001-07:002007-08-29T17:47:48.667-07:00S is for SHIL-NORA<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/1105260553/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1224/1105260553_71d1f87e7a_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/1105260553/">shil_nora</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/tik-tiki/">dalbhat</a> </span></div>This is the grinding stone used in most Bengali kitchens, to make masalas like posto (poppy) paste and mustard sauce for fish dishes!<br /><br />It weighs a ton though I have imagined carrying it abroad with me more than once.<br /><br />On Sundays, our complex opens its doors to the many vendors who come around singing out their various ads. One of them is the stone grinder, who chisels designs like fish motifs into the pointy end of the stone so that it can once again give optimum performance.<br clear="all" /><br /><br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MHUdRihQe2U"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MHUdRihQe2U" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object><br /><br />Indrani Sen wrote a paragraph in the Guardian Observer (11/19/06) that best seems to capture how the shil-nora makes its presence in the kitchen:<br /><br />Kneeling beside Rani-di as the morning sun warmed the patio, I learned how to use the shil nora to grind the essential pastes of Bengali cooking - onion, ginger, dried red chilli, garlic, cumin and coriander. She showed me how to roll the mortar back and forth on the pocked stone slab, pausing to reposition the paste with wet fingertips.tik-tikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00419233204373567824noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144979.post-58919210496946672672007-01-22T18:16:00.001-08:002007-01-23T02:25:10.119-08:00S is for SARASWATI<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/366501797/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/33/366501797_5a5a6752ab_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/366501797/">saraswati_2</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/tik-tiki/">dalbhat</a>. </span></div>For a few days before the Saraswati festival, local markets see a surge of color as hundreds of Saraswati images, in a range of sizes to suit, are displayed for sale. The day before Saraswati Puja, the images can be seen out and about the city, propped up carefully in the back of van rickshaws and trucks as they make their way to homes where studious Bengalis dwell, post offices, or institutions of learning where pujas for the goddess of learning are sure to happen. Then the morning arrives, as you wake to the day there is a faint beating of drums or blasts from sound systems that were rented out for the day. Loud speakers are being tested. And wafting through the air is a delicious nutty and wholesome smell as huge pots of a dal-rice hodge podge known as khichuri are cooked up to feed everyone around.<br /><br />Saraswati is actually the goddess of all the creative arts, particularly that of poetry and music, learning and science. She dresses modestly, as she prefers the pursuit of knowledge to things material. She gracefully rides on a swan or a peacock, and is often seated on a lotus flower. She is master of the veena.<br />In Bengal, children place their books in front of the image on this day to ask that her powers help them to do well at school, and in classes where they are particularly weak.<br /><br />Young people living in a community are most enthusiastic about this festival and many schools hold special ceremonies on this day, with the khichuri pot brewing in the background and friend potol or begun frying up to accompany it. Students and postal carriers go door-to-door the week before to gather donations so that the celebrations can happen. Girls wear yellow ("basanti") sarees with splashes of red. Makeshift "altars" have been set up all around to celebrate the occasion. Time to put the hard-core, high-pressure studies away and enjoy a dance and big meal!<br clear="all" />tik-tikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00419233204373567824noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144979.post-1159671846925491902006-09-30T19:57:00.000-07:002006-10-01T05:31:20.176-07:00B is for BANANA FLOWER<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/10673452/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/6/10673452_56f2927002_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/10673452/">banflower</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/tik-tiki/">dalbhat</a>. </span></div>Growing up in upstate New York didn't grant me many opportunities to see bananas growing in the wild. That's why I was surprised to learn that a banana "flower" actually exists and is used in a tasty seasonal "mochar" dish here in Kolkata.<br /><br />In the initial days of growth, the banana plant stem remains under the soil, with the fruit remaining on top. Gradually it grows above the soil in a full-fledged tree with the flower dwindling down from the tip. The extended stem remains inside called 'thor' in Bengali. The flower or 'mochar' in Bengali has three variety - male, female and sexless flower. Along with the typical banana fruit, the flower, when in season, is also sold in local markets.<br /><br />The banana flower is deep purplish-orange color and forms on long drooping stalks. If you open the inside, you can see small flowers that would turn into banana. This is what is used to make the Bengali mochar curry dish here in Bengal. The process of removing all these small flowers is quite tedious, and then they must be soaked for quite some time in salt water to remove the bitterness before cooking.<br /><br />'Kaancha kola,' or green banana is also used widely in cooking here.<br clear="all" />tik-tikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00419233204373567824noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144979.post-1157808947761822642006-09-09T06:30:00.000-07:002006-09-09T19:59:06.470-07:00D is for DURGA<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/51526662/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/26/51526662_e77f00b18e_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/51526662/">durga_vidyas</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/tik-tiki/">dalbhat</a><br /><br /></span></div>Durga is the demon-destroying goddess worshiped during an annual homecoming festival called Durga puja. She is annually welcomed back each year into the homes, communities and more importantly, the hearts of Bengalis according to the lunar calendar. She is elaborately treated as a guest in the city and in larger family homes until it is time for her to be sent back to the Himalayas, which is symbolized by a parade of music and dance that ends with her immersion into the Ganges.<br /><br />Durga has ten arms holding Sword, Conch, Discus, Rosary, Bell, Winecup, Shielf, Bow, Arrow, and Spear, all gifts from the gods so that she would be able to slay Mahish, the demon. These tools reflect Durga's supremacy in controling evil and good forces within the universe. <br /><br />My favorite part of this 4-day celebration and ceremony to welcome the goddess and send her off again is happening right now, long before the drummers and priests get here to do their thing. Laborers who are skilled at making the temporary bamboo structures that house Durga come from the rural districts about one month before the festival begins. With each passing day, these "pandals" rise up all over the city. At first they look just like scaffolding, but gradually take shape as pillars and windows and entranceways are built into them; they are then wrapped in huge sheets of cloth and decorated creatively by these rural artisans who come up with new (and sometimes pretty whacky) ideas each year. Sometimes they build the pandal to reflect a news event that happened during the year (this year it was the little boy who fell into the tubewell) or mold the face of the demon into a head-butting football player, etc. It's all in good fun and works to escalate the excitement for dressing up in this year's best and going hopping from one pandal to the other to welcome the goddess and say a prayer for safety and plenitude.<br /><br />The pandals had me fooled the first couple of years...I thought they were real cement buildings until I started to notice the actual construction going on beforehand. <br /><br />As you can see, Durga pervades every nook and cranny of the city during this season -- even the java joints!<br clear="all" /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/181468139/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/51/181468139_e29f9a232a_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="durga in my coffee" /></a>tik-tikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00419233204373567824noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144979.post-1154761234607934782006-08-04T23:55:00.000-07:002006-09-09T06:37:19.350-07:00B is for BULA-DI<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/207014674/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/79/207014674_789602c460_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/207014674/">buladi</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/tik-tiki/">dalbhat</a>. </span></div>If you live in West Bengal and have "embarrassing" questions about sex and sexually transmitted diseases, who better to ask then a matronly, aunty type called Bula-di? All over the city and in the matrimony pages of the newspapers these days, you'll see this little saree-clad rag doll with the big eyes, who seems to wear an always-ready-to-listen expression on her face. And this saavy neighborhood advice dealer seems to speak three languages (English, Bengali and Hindi) and have her own mobile number too: 1097. <br /><br />In fact, the Bula-di campaign is proving to be a very successful HIV/AIDS awareness program here in West Bengal where every neighborhood often actually has a well-informed big-sister or aunty who can apolitically "smooth out problems" and who always has practical advice handy for the asking. Ambassador Bula-di is easily accepted in her role here in West Bengal. In more macho, northern areas, however, it is suspected that men may not want to take advice on their sexual behaviour from such a gal. Media experts will have to think up something just as creative there.<br /><br />A typical sign board down town might show her matter-of-factly having this discussion with a young man:<br /> "But Bula di, won't using a condom mean I suspect my partner of infidelity?" <br />Pat comes Bula's reply,<br /> "Not at all. It's the sign of a healthy relationship."<br /><br />Recently when the campaign suggested that a new son-in-law should be put to the HIV test, Bula-di had to make one important gender correction. After many complaints came in suggesting that the campaign showed a blatant gender bias, billboards transformed their message: "Looks, education, and character do not alone make for an ideal groom or bride..not until both undergo and HIV test." <br /><br />Apparently the next phase of this campaign is to get Bula-di into new spheres where she can make an impact: truck stops, pharmacies, and liquor shops<br /><br />Note: “di” is a Bengali suffix (short form of “didi”) which means elder sister.<br clear="all" />tik-tikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00419233204373567824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144979.post-1147486254404802562006-05-12T19:08:00.000-07:002006-08-21T06:15:58.103-07:00M is for MOSQUITO<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/102823737/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/41/102823737_c24b657913_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/102823737/">moshari_1</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/tik-tiki/">dalbhat</a>. </span></div>Yesterday I drove by a small gate across from Nandan where a small plaque hangs to introduce the location of the laboratory where Sir Ronald Ross, a British physician and entomologist noted for identifying the links between mosquitoes and malaria, made his mosquito breakthrough.<br /><br />Ross was born in India in 1857. His father was a soldier who eventually became a general in the Indian army. Ross lived in India until he was eight ,when he was sent away to boarding school in Southampton, England. <br /><br />In 1874 he became a medical student at St Bartholomew's Hospital in London. In 1879 Ross just managed to pass his Royal College of Surgeons exam. This meant that he could only practice as a ship's surgeon, which he did for a couple of years until he passed an exam for the Society of Apothecaries. This meant that in 1881 Ross could join the British-Indian army medical services and eleven years later he began investigating the transmission and control of malaria.<br /><br />When Ross was a small boy in India, he saw many people fall ill with malaria. At that time in India one million people died every year from malaria. Because of this, malaria was known as the "King of diseases". While Ross was in India his father fell seriously ill with malaria, but fortunately recovered. This prompted an interest in the disease for him.<br /><br />When Ross returned to India as part of the British-Indian medical services he was sent to Madras where he found that a large part of his work was treating soldiers ill with malaria. The treatment was with quinine which was quite successful, but many died because they failed to get treatment.<br /><br />At that time it was believed that malaria was caused by breathing in bad air in a hot, marshy country. In fact the name malaria comes from the Italian words male which means " bad" and aria which means "air". However, Ross had strong doubts that bad air was the cause of malaria.<br /><br />In 1883, Ross obtained the post of Acting Garrison Surgeon at Bangladore. Accommodation was provided, but while Ross found the bungalow pleasant to live in, he was irritated by the large numbers of mosquito which constantly buzzed around the rooms. He also noticed that there seemed to be more mosquito in his bungalow than in others and that there was a particularly large swarm around a water tub outside the window. When Ross looked in the tub he saw lots of "wriggling" grubs which he identified as mosquito larvae. The mosquito were breeding in the water. Ross emptied the water and found that the number of mosquito reduced. This started him thinking that if the places where mosquito bred were removed it might be possible to eliminate them completely.<br /><br />Between 1881 and 1894 Ross was to have many postings as a doctor throughout India. During this time he also wrote a number of adventure stories which became very popular.<br /><br />While he was posted in India, Ross returned to England a number of times and in 1889, on leave in England he took a course in bacteriology. This was a new discipline and gave him an opportunity to use a microscope.While he was in England he met and married his wife Rosa.<br /><br />In 1894-95 Ross returned to England again for a long holiday and while there he discussed his theories with Dr Patrick Manson a specialist in tropical diseases. They also discussed the work of Laveran, a French doctor who had recently identified parasites called Plasmodium in the blood of people from North Africa who had malaria. Dr Manson and Ross then examined some tiny drops of blood taken from sailors who had come from Africa through a microscope. These showed the Plasmodium parasite infecting the red blood cells.<br /><br />But, how did the malaria get from sick people into healthy people? It did not seem to be transmitted by the usual ways.<br /><br />When, in 1895 Ross returned to India he had an increased interest in establishing the link between mosquitoes and malaria and carried out a series of experiments to prove this theory.<br /><br />In March 1897 Ross was posted to Ootacamund, where he fell ill with malaria. He was then posted to Secunderabad where he fell ill with cholera. It is reported that he was cured by being fed hot tea. When he had recovered, he started work again trying to establish the link between malaria and mosquitoes.<br /><br />Ross toiled through a series of experiments in the extreme heat of August in India, all of which failed. He wrote to his wife saying:<br /><br />"I have failed in finding parasites in mosquitoes fed on malaria patients, but perhaps I am not using the proper kind of mosquito".<br /><br />One of the difficulties Ross faced was that there were many different sorts of mosquitoes and it was possible only one type carried the parasite.<br /><br />Ross continued; this time with more luck.<br /><br />On August 16 he wrote to his wife that he had found another type of mosquito for his experiment. These mosquitoes were a type he had not seen before. He called them "dapple-wing", because their wings were covered with little spots or "dapples". Ross then fed the females (only females suck blood), on a man named Husein Khan who was a malaria patient. Husein Khan was paid 1 anna per mosquito he was bitten by; he came away with 10 annas.<br /><br />On August 17 Ross killed and dissected two of these mosquitoes and found nothing unusual.<br /><br />On August 19 he killed another and found "some peculiar vacuolated cells in the stomach about 10 microns in diameter"; he paid little attention to them.<br /><br />The next day, August 20, Ross decided to kill one of the remaining mosquitoes he had fed on Husein Khan. He dissected the tissue, micron by micron and to his surprise he; "saw a clear and almost circular outline too small to be the stomach-cell of an ordinary mosquito. I looked a little further. Here was another and another exactly similar cell". August 20 came to be known as Mosquito Day.<br /><br />The next day he killed and dissected the remaining specimen and found 21 cells, just the same as the other, but this time larger. The cells were malaria parasites growing in the mosquito tissues. Now Ross needed to find the connection between dapple-wing mosquitoes and people infected with malaria.<br /><br />On the 4 September he joined his family at Bangladore where he wrote a paper on his findings. This paper was published in the British Medical Journal on December 18 1897. Unfortunately he was posted to Rajputana later that month, where there was little endemic malaria.<br /><br />Things were to improve in 1898 when he was posted to CALCUTTA (!) where a laboratory was made available to him. While he was in Calcutta, Ross read the work of an American called MacCallum who had identified the Plasmodium parasite in infected birds. Ross decided to follow this line. He took mosquitoes fed on infected birds and fed them on uninfected birds. The uninfected birds became infected.<br /><br />Reporting back to Manson on the 25 June Ross wrote that he had found "germinal rods", in the stomach lining of the mosquito. By 29 June he had located them in the blood cavity and on the 4 July he found them in the salivary glands. The complicated life cycle of the plasmodium parasite had been uncovered. The parasite bred in the stomach of the female mosquito, travelled through the bloodstream to the salivary glands and was injected into the victim with the saliva when the mosquito bit through the skin.<br /><br />That month Manson declared Ross's work to the BMA.<br /><br />In 1899 Ross decided to return to England. Manson had arranged a post for him at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and Ross became their first lecturer in tropical disease. He remained involved with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine from 1899 to 1912, during which time he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine and in 1911 received a knightood. By 1912, however, Ross had become so disillusioned with his pay and conditions that he moved to London to improve his situation. While he London he saw the founding of the Ross Institute and Hospital for Tropical Diseases at Putney.<br /><br />Ross died on 16 September 1932 at the Ross Institute<br />====<br />.<br />A simple daily change of routine that took place when I came to live in Kolkata is putting up the mosquito net each and every night: the best prevention against malaria yet.<br clear="all" /><br />A friend who visited us from Ireland had a classic line after staying over with us in her net: "let me tell you, the mosquitoes were really surfing my net last night!"tik-tikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00419233204373567824noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144979.post-1139369880418124272006-02-07T19:38:00.000-08:002006-02-07T19:38:00.426-08:00B is for BOOK FAIR<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/96988931/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/24/96988931_1f4715ac60_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/96988931/">boimela_5</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/tik-tiki/">dalbhat</a>. </span></div>Every winter, when the sweltering heat relents and it is pleasant to be outdoors, Kolkatans start watching their newspapers for the official dates of Boi Mela, the Kolkata Book Fair. It is definitely the highlight of the winter mela (fair) season, when books and all that surround them take over a huge section of the expansive Maidan, Kolkata's largest urban green space, almost overnight in late January. Happening over a period of twelve days, Boi Mela is not unlike cherry blossom season in Japan. It climaxes and disappears before you know it.<br clear="all" />tik-tikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00419233204373567824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144979.post-1139367571632260062006-02-07T18:59:00.000-08:002006-02-07T19:06:31.810-08:00W is for WETLANDS<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/96988929/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/26/96988929_72aab2c36b_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/96988929/">wetlands</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/tik-tiki/">dalbhat</a>. </span></div>One of the largest systems in the world for making use of rainwater run-off and water discarded after being used for a wide range of human activities in the city water is on the eastern edge of Kolkata, and known as the East Kolkata Wetlands.<br /><br />This vast 12,000 hectare stretch of is something I pass each and every day as I travel along the EM Bypass that connects the airport to the city. It is an ecologically unique area that is protected by the Ramsar Convention of 1991.<br /><br />The New Agriculturalist On-line reports on yhe East Kolkata Wetlands' interesting hydrological history: The area had been a brackish water lagoon swamp but as fresh drainage water came out of Kolkata it became suitable for raising fish. Local farmers stocked some of the ponds and then dug more. Currently, there are 300 or so large fish farms and ponds covering a total area of 3,500 hectares. Landlords, many of them absentee, let the majority of ponds to commercial managers, some others are managed by the government and some have been given to fishermen's groups and cooperatives. Due to the high organic-matter content of the soil here, vegetable production is a household activity with people renting small plots or sub-letting smaller plots for their own household sustenance and income. Apart from those people actually raising fish (about 8,000) or growing vegetables, there are porters, auctioneers, traders, retailers and people raising fish seed, making nets, maintaining drainage canals and reinforcing the banks. A great many people, many of them poor, depend on the Wetlands for their livelihoods. Many more, in Kolkata city, depend on the fish and vegetables produced; 13,000 tonnes of fish are produced annually in ponds managed for wastewater aquaculture and 150 tonnes vegetables per day are harvested from small-scale horticultural plots irrigated with wastewater. But there are a number of problems, including the fact that all the city's waste is also dumped here. A huge network of residents, NGOs and government bodies are working to deal with the problems in order to protect this important "lung" of the city.<br /><br />How is this photo for an example of "direct trade?" Vegetables are sold immediately after being harvested along the road by producers. <br />An internet search will give plenty of information on this fascinating area that supports so many.<br clear="all" />tik-tikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00419233204373567824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144979.post-1137417758878406172006-01-16T05:22:00.000-08:002006-01-16T05:22:38.923-08:00H is for HOWRAH<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/87339306/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/39/87339306_bb39831d3c_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/87339306/">howrah_2</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/tik-tiki/">dalbhat</a>. </span></div>Minutes after I took this photo, a train came in from the outskirts of the city, and this platform was teeming with people coming into Kolkata for the day for the CPM rally. The feeling of the crowd was more like a bunch of picnickers though, coming to the city for lunch and a bit of socializing.<br /><br />FACTS:<br />- Howrah is situated on the Howrah bank of the Howrah Bridge<br />- Said to be one of the biggest stations in the country<br />- Trains run throughout suburbs, West Bengal and the major cities of India<br />- Second oldest station and one of the largest railway complexes in India<br /> - 21 platforms <br />- 300 trains to every part of the country <br />- Over 1,000,000 passengers every day<br />- Made functional 1 December 1905. - Designed by British Engineer Halsey Ricardo.<br /><br />Sounds straightforward but go wait for a train there and see how straightforward the experience really is.<br clear="all" />tik-tikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00419233204373567824noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144979.post-1135346195689434242005-12-23T05:56:00.000-08:002005-12-23T05:56:35.736-08:00M is for MISHTI<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/76561493/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/40/76561493_ffe30bec84_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/76561493/">mishti</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/tik-tiki/">dalbhat</a>. </span></div>You don't have to hit the street for very long before you come across a MISHTI dokan selling melt-in-your mouth, milky sweetmeats that are the favorite of Bengalis. <br /><br />These are often made from sweetened channa, milk that is boiled up in big vats and curdled into a cottage cheese then shaped into balls, pancakes and other seasonal forms.<br /><br />During the winter, many of the sweets are sweetened with gur, the date palm syrup that is tapped at this time.<br /><br />If you buy two pieces, there is a little box that fits just those two. If you buy four, there's another box just the right size. And if you are purchasing the infamously sweet and syrupy roshogallas for your whole family and community, then take it home in an earthy terracotta pot.<br clear="all" />tik-tikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00419233204373567824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144979.post-1130048154234104242005-10-22T23:15:00.000-07:002005-10-22T23:15:54.246-07:00M is for MONSOON<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/55089249/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/27/55089249_5c60c67add_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/55089249/">monsoon2</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/tik-tiki/">dalbhat</a>. </span></div>BRISHTI PORCHE! <br /> "It's raining" <br /><br />In central areas of the city people hop rickshaws to keep from having to wade through the floods. One of the culprits besides poor drainage systems is the littering habit. Plastic bags and other bits block the drains and prevent drainage from working properly. The true rains held off til after the pujas this year...and its raining as I type this!<br clear="all" />tik-tikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00419233204373567824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144979.post-1129033636613656492005-10-11T05:27:00.000-07:002005-10-11T05:27:16.653-07:00M is for MEHENDI<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/51526663/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/33/51526663_39de23c556_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/51526663/">DSCF1807</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/tik-tiki/">dalbhat</a>. </span></div>The art of Mehendi has existed for centuries. The exact place of its origin is difficult to track because of centuries of people in different cultures moving through the continents and taking their art forms with them and therefore sharing their art with everyone along the way. <br />Some historical evidence suggests that Mendhi started in India while others believe it was introduced to India during the twelfth century A.D. <br /><br />Proof has been found that henna (MEHENDI) was used to stain the fingers and toes of Pharoahs prior to mummification over 5000 years ago when it was also used as a cosmetic and for it's healing power. <br /><br />The henna used for Mehendi comes from a bush called Lawsonia Inermis which is part of the loose strife family and is grown in the Sudan, Egypt, India, most of the North African counties, The Middle East and other hot and dry places. . The lance- shaped leaves from the bush are harvested, dried and then crushed to make the henna powder. Henna is used for hair dye, as a skin conditioner and as a reliever for rashes. The art of mehendi is referred to as henna or mehendi depending on where you are and which name you feel came first. <br /><br />Mehendi designs have traditionally fallen into four different styles. The Middle Eastern style is mostly made up of floral patterns similar to the Arabic textiles, paintings and carvings and do not usually follow a destinctive pattern. The North African style generally follows the shape of the hands and feet using geometrical floral patterns. The Indian and Pakistani designs encompass more than just the feet and hands and generally extend further up the appendages to give the illusion of gloves and stockings which are made up of lines, paisley patterns and teardrops. Lastly, the Indonesian and Southern Asian styles were a mix of Middle Eastern and Indian designs using blocks of color on the very tips of their toes and fingers. <br /><br />In some Indian cultures, it is used at celebrations like weddings and other special occasions which are traditionally associated with transcendence and transformation. It is used for worship and work but not for the sake of vanity. It is traditional for the bride to get together with her friends and have them spend hours applying the henna to her skin and give her marriage advice in tandem. The patterns used for weddings are generally very intricate and time consuming.<br /><br />However, there is a quick method that unfortunately does not use natural dyes but still creates a beautiful stain. Wooden blocks are used to apply the designs in a matter of seconds...street fair fun.<br clear="all" />tik-tikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00419233204373567824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144979.post-1127526820156653892005-09-23T18:53:00.000-07:002005-09-23T18:53:40.436-07:00K is for KUMARTOLI<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/45973785/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/33/45973785_0d453af0b9_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/45973785/">durga_4</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/tik-tiki/">dalbhat</a>. </span></div>Durga is the goddess that creates a cultural frenzy in Kolkata during the month of October. She is brought to a community, worshipped for four days and then immersed in the river to show the impermanence of even things spirtual. <br /><br />Kumartoli is an area in the north of the city close to Sova Bazaar where the clay images of Ma Durga are hand crafted. As you walk through the narrow alleyways you will see how the images are formed --- the basic structure is made with bundles of hay tied together. This is then covered with mud clay from the Ganges and then the images are painted and gorgeously decorated with sequinned headbands and flowimg gowns. It seems that each household in Kumartoli has a different role to play in bringing Durga to life. <br /><br />Lighter images are made for easier export out of a pond tuber. At the first place we stopped, packing crates were being built to send compact Ma Durga and her entourage to pujas in Tokyo and Manchester.<br clear="all" />tik-tikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00419233204373567824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144979.post-1125373941496241522005-08-29T20:52:00.000-07:002005-08-29T21:45:06.540-07:00B is for BHELPURI<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/38451942/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://photos25.flickr.com/38451942_44ad8d306e_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/38451942/">bhelpuri</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/tik-tiki/">dalbhat</a>. </span></div>My bag is heavy and I am just about to leave my local bazaar in the evening...when the bhelpuri cart attracts my attention. I'm not sure if it is the fun of watching him put a little bit of this and a little bit of that into his recycled conical cup or the tangy taste afterwards that draws me in the most.<br /><br />Although I tend to favor the stall right near home, bhelpuri snack stalls are ubiquitous in this city, and are said to be synonymous with the beaches of Mumbai. Puffed rice forms the base of the bhel. To this, finely cut tomatoes, onions, boiled potatoes and chillies are added. Next some chutneys (tangy tamarind!) are added to give it a sweet or spicy flavour. Lastly various fixings are sprinkled on top like fried puris, other crunchies and freshly chopped coriander leaves. This mix all adds up to a sour/pungent/sweet taste you can eat right from the cone (made of recycled magazine pages!) with your little wooden spoon. Ahhh. Now I can go home for the evening! <br />tik-tikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00419233204373567824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144979.post-1122293089899850912005-07-25T05:04:00.000-07:002005-11-09T05:04:50.616-08:00H is for HAWAII CHAPPAL<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/28449540/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://photos21.flickr.com/28449540_c485a0f872_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/28449540/">hawaeechapal2</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/tik-tiki/">dalbhat</a>. </span></div>These affordable rubber soled slip-ons continue to be the chosen footwear of India's masses. Simple and practical, "Hawaii Chappal" may be a statement on life here. <br /><br />I have never ever heard them called <a href="http://www.businessworldindia.com/Jan1204/indepth06.asp"> "fIip flops"</a>here.<br /><br />DefIintely the best choice for monsoon rains and scorching heat.<br clear="all" />tik-tikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00419233204373567824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144979.post-1120903387203277742005-07-09T03:03:00.000-07:002005-07-09T03:03:07.253-07:00K is for KANTHA<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/24644916/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://photos21.flickr.com/24644916_11d1d39588_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/24644916/">4_birdmotif_4</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/tik-tiki/">dalbhat</a>. </span></div>Kantha embroidery is a traditional skill of craftswomen from West Bengal. Look closely at the tiny running stitches that form beautiful patterns that often include nature, religion or simply daily routine. The intricacy will draw you in.<br /><br />This craft developed out of necessity. Used sarees were layered together and the kantha stitching was used to "sew in durability" to make small baby quilts or throws to keep warm.<br clear="all" />tik-tikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00419233204373567824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144979.post-1120489528328210712005-07-04T08:05:00.000-07:002005-07-04T08:05:28.333-07:00W is for WALLAH<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/23505748/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://photos19.flickr.com/23505748_7f32ad5c1e_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/23505748/">knifewallah_1</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/tik-tiki/">dalbhat</a>. </span></div>Street vendors make up the curiously chaotic wallpaper of Kolkata's street life. This wallah sits close to the entrance of the building where I work. He is sharpening knives on a bicycle that turns into a honing device when needed!<br /><br />Everything happens out on the street here.<br clear="all" />tik-tikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00419233204373567824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144979.post-1115436957774215772005-05-06T20:35:00.000-07:002005-07-08T18:38:25.813-07:00I is for INDIAN ICONS & IMAGES<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/12402893/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://photos11.flickr.com/12402893_6832f9c354_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/12402893/">mothert</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/tik-tiki/">dalbhat</a>. </span></div>One cannot help notice the images found hung on the walls of Bengali homes and family shops. Generally you will see Swami Vivekananda, Ramakrishna, Mother T, Rabindranath Tagore, Sai Baba, Loknath, various combinations of Hindu gods and goddesses, and even Jesus Christ. That covers several bases!<br /><br />Whether it has been officially stated or not, Mother Teresa is revered as a saint to many here in Kolkata. Her ascetic lifetime of service to the poor and dying is considered worthy of worship and honor. From my experience meeting various people involved with NGOs in Kolkata, there are thousands of Mother Teresas at work in Kolkata -- doing admirable and important social work throughout the city.<br clear="all" />tik-tikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00419233204373567824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144979.post-1115257480027225472005-05-04T18:44:00.000-07:002005-05-08T06:07:18.166-07:00T is for TIGER<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/12403106/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://photos11.flickr.com/12403106_3271fedad5_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tik-tiki/12403106/">tiger</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/tik-tiki/">dalbhat</a>. </span></div>Royal Bengal Tiger, that is. Not far from Kolkata along the Bay of Bengal, and sharing the border with Bangladesh, lies the muddy, forested mangrove delta region called Sundarbans. This is home to the world's remaining Bengal tigers as well as to various villagers who live amongst them as fisherfolk, bee collectors and farmers. <br /><br />A point most villagers agree upon is that this man-eating tiger will almost always attack from the back. One form of protection that is used by fishermen is to wear a mask on the back of the head to confuse the tigers. The tiger, though feared by people of Sundarbans, is revered. And everyone knows the folktale of Daskin Ray, the Tiger God and Bonobibi, the Forest Goddess. Women who have lost their husbands to the forest hunter live in widow villages and get some support from the government.<br /><br />The main tiger population of the Indian subcontinent has suffered a serious decline in the last 50 years. A government program,<a href="http://projecttiger.nic.in"> Project Tiger </a>, established nine sanctuaries designed to provide ample habitat and prey. In the 90s, there was a resurgence of poaching for the escalating Chinese and Korean markets, in spite of a Chinese ban on tiger products in 1993 and South Korea's joining of CITES. <br /><br />A visit to the lush natural Sundarbans region, whether you see a tiger or not, is a rich experience. The conservation-minded organization, <a href="http://www.helptourism.com"> HELP Tourism </a> has excellent tours.<br /><br clear="all" />tik-tikihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00419233204373567824noreply@blogger.com0