I was Tagged by Sucharita in her blog Past Continues to write this blog.
FOUR POINTS EACH
A. Four moments of Laughter in my life:
1. A misunderstood help:
The local train just moved from Belgharia station and people near the door lifted a running man.
On boarding the compartment, he angrily said, "You people pulled me up unnecessarily. I was one compartment before this compartment. I could get down at the last moment from the running train and ran in the forward direction so that I would not fall. Now I have to go back to Belgharia for the sake of you people."
2. "Snakes" in a tea shop:
In a busy tea shop the glass jars filled with snacks misspelled as "Snakes". The big signboard of the shop repeated this mistake in bold caption" The best hot tea with cold but fresh SNAKES"
3. Prof. S.G.M. In geochemical lab of IIT Khargpur: Absentminded Professor came to class wearing a banyan (left his shirt in his chamber) and wrote on the board " USE ONLY DILUTED REAGENTS INCLUDING DISTILLED WATER" We were confused at first and broke into laughter after he left the class.
4. Another Prof. of Mech. Engg. dept. I.I.T Kharagpur in his thanks giving speech on the Hallday of Lala Lajpat Rai Hall(Lallu Hall )said by slip of tongue, ( he left few connecting words)" Thank you all. I enjoyed my dinner and my wife too." His embarrassed wife left the stage immediately.
FOUR FOOD ITEMS I LIKED MOST:
1. Kacchi Biryani: in this Biryani, both raw rice and meat are cooked simultaneously. The aroma of cooked Biryani becomes the envy of neighbors. I tasted this at Hyderabad and Lucknow. I do not know the recipe. Any reader patiently reading upto this may throw light.
2. Fish cooked in a green Leaf. We usually take rest from our fieldwork by the side of a Streamlet. With the soft cotton Napkin (Gamchha), we used to catch small fishes also. After cleaning, we put these fishes in big green leafs and burn the leaf slowly. The leaf burns completely without the fish being burnt but it is nicely cooked. Only salt is to be added and if you so want put drops of mustard oil.
3. Duck roast: (a tribal Preparation modified a little by me)
A.Slit the back of the Duck and take out the intestine. B.Marinate it with curd and ginger.
C.Put some half cooked and fried onion-Cumin-garlic paste inside the belly and sew the opening.
D.Rub oil or butter on the body and leave it for 10-15 minute. E.Take two earthen dish of equal size and just grease it with oil. Put duck on one and cover it with the other. Seal the joining of two dishes by moistened soil.
F.Dig a hole on ground and put charcoal on the bottom, keep the earthen dish and now fully cover it with charcoal and ignite charcoal from all sides. After half an hour, the aroma shall tell you that the duck roast is "done".
4. Murri-telebhaja-mixture and tea( puffed rice, small onion pakodas etc). Four of us: one poetess, one short skit writter(my friend GG), one short story writer and one long story writer (myself)used to meet with recent write ups of each of us on Saturdays and this was the food item. I still like it over a literary “Adda” with my friends.
FOUR UNFORGETTABLE MOMENTS OF LIFE:
1. Meeting with Indira Gandhi: In 1976 at The OAT of I.I.T Kharagpur I received My Graduation and Post Graduation degree from her hands. She smiled at all of us said "Congratulations, Mr. Biswas"
2. Dinner with Dr. Abdul Kalam Azad at ISM in 1998.(Indian School Of Mines) Dhanbad. He became President of India shortly after that. He met with all of us in the dinner receiving degrees. He enquired from me about my PH.D work and discussed with me for about 5-10 minutes. I was stunned by his deep knowledge in my subject.Next day by alphabetical order and doctoral degree order I was the first to receive my Ph.D from his hands.
3. A narrow escape from a road accident. We were to attend a marriage ceremony and on the National Highway there was a near head on collission but alittle swarve has otherwise saved us the vehicle was badly damaged. we received only scratch type injuries.
4. My last meet with my mother: I was leaving for Saudi Arab, my first assignment of abroad. She came to meet me at Barrackpore. Her last words were " Do a good job and take care. I shall be managing them(my wife and two children)" She was maintainig a very good health. Nine months later she expired suddenly. I did not believe that was my last meet with my mother.
FOUR UNFORGETTABLE PERSONS.
1. My friend GG. (He is a world reputed scientist now, working at NASA. Full name not disclosed): He used to have brain waves occasionally and compelled us to join with him. Few are the followings:
A. Enjoyed the dinner of a marriage ceremony of the daughter of a miser Prof. in the campus being uninvited. We had a fresh haircut and wore Dhoti- Kurta. Prof. easily confused us as members of “Barrati” and made several never before requests for having more sweets. We had a sweet revenge for his past misery of refusing us few cups of Teas at his residence.
B. Posed as beggar in the crowded Gol bazzar of Kharagpur Town and we all earned Rs 25(in 1974) and enjoyed a dinner at Chhedy's( A coffee shop just outside the IIT campus famous for solution point of many problems and designs)
C. Upon being refused a romantic Character in a play, GG successfully proposed and convinced the Director of the play (years elder to him) that he is in with love with her. (We helped very little and were unaware of this fact that this was a drama written by GG long back).
Just before the Grand Viva, he pretended to become mad completely. He went to the chambers of many Professors and told them that all they taught is useless. He met the warden of Sorojini Naidu Hall( ladies hostel) to allow the lovers to meet. The Warden refused this. He broke some glasses and windowpanes and ran away.
However, he did the grand Viva very well. The warden of our Hall told us to rescue him to his home. Only at Kharagpur Platform, we knew all he did was a drama only.
2. Nair Babu: Officially, he was my assistant, but he was more than my guide and friend. I was fresh from the college. He taught me all the technical details of Geological Mapping, Sampling, eye estimation of grade and tactful behavior to manage things
3. Acharayaji: Nairbabu once took me to him. He lived inside a cave of a hill and people used to say that he ate seldom. To me he appeared a Philosopher. He explained to me the meaning of colors and God.
He said" If you do not tune your radio, you are unable to hear Binnaca Geetmala. Tune your mind; you may be able to hear from god."
He refused any future telling or giving medicines or performing any miracles. He only said, "All the bad thing happening around you because the god is trying to communicate something to you so that you may correct the trajectory of your path."
I shall mention about these two persons in detail in my upcoming Novel "Those days, the Jungle days."
4. Manglu Sardar. Our recent field guide. He is also a geologist passing from the University of Nature. We learnt a lot from him. He also listens eagerly from us. He once commented on a short story Of Sarat Babu.
Upon seeing the Dance Drama Of Tagore’s “Shyama”, he pointed out several technical flaws and Said on Shyama" That Beautiful Woman is actually a 'Dahin'(wicked soul performing black magic)
FOUR UNFORGETTABLE DREAMS.
1. A reverse exodus:
The busses, Lorries, bullock carts, special trains moving back and forth towards pre-existing borders of India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan are overloaded. Passengers are as if pasted by Fevicol. People are returning to their old home.
Despite red eyes from super powers, Bharatbarsa, the reunited India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh have made the New Super India.
The Hockey, Cricket, and football teams have become formidable. Super India is now a member of OPEC. Despite ban, many countries are coming to us for tread treaties.
Our Satellites have just reached Mars and recently one satellite is hovering over Bharatbarsa seeking a place to land. It is from a different solar system, saying Billion years back they came here. Our scientists are trying to....
(others break my dream hearing the shouts from me )
2. A commercial break of TV:
Nano rice, wheat, vegetables, oil are available at all supermarkets and malls. You need a small container to buy your monthly grocery.
For a family of four, only four grains of rice and few green dot like vegetables are enough to fill the belly for the dinner.
The cooking is made from a nano gas cylinder fed toy type gas stove and is complete before the serial naming kkkkkkkkkk. starts.
3. My GPS (global positioning system) instrument and Brunton compass both are not working:
I am detached from my field mates during a reconnaissance survey exploration for Iron ore and I am sure the hill in this Island is full of Magnetite.
The sun is about to set and a big white house is seen on a small hillock. A huge rusted iron gate prevents me to enter.
I cleared the bush near the entrance and found a lever like thing. Playing with it suddenly the lever moved and the gate opened.
As I crossed the main gate, blinkering lights came from nowhere and tiny people arrived with bow and arrow. Suddenly, a huge fountain of water started working. From this cover, these liliputs sprayed arrows and I felt ant bites and pain became unbearable.
I found myself in my tent, the generator stopped and mosquitoes were biting me. Hearing my wails, other mates from the nearby tent rushed to my tent and tried to wake me up by blinking their torches.
4. This is the saddest dream:
It was pitching dark and I sat under a tree. The yellow leafs of the tree were falling continuously. Suddenly, somewhere I saw a fire. There was both light and heat. I found it was a funeral pyre. I was scared; I tried to shout for help but failed. This was the saddest dream in my life and it came true.
Four days later, there was a telegram for me" Father serious, Come soon." I reached home and the next day my father expired.
That night I sat under a tree with falling leafs (it was the month of November). When the pyre was lit, I came back to that tree and chill flew in my spine, I saw exactly this in the dream, only four days before.
Four mineral exploration reconnaissance traverse which was full with thrill and fun.
1. Saudi Arabia:. 400km from Riyadh, near Khaniguayah, this was otherwise a unfeasible site for Zinc mineralisation. Myself and my team found out signs of small pockets of very rich Copper and Gold minralisation. This made this deposit as a combined zinc-copper-gold mineralised belt making it economically feasible.
2. Guyana, West indies: Near Makatau river and Brazil border a iron ore mineralisation discovery by myself and my team. We were nearly lost here. In the deep Amazon forest GPS did not work. Rations fell short and our local guides caught two big birds and huge potatoes. Just roasting them on fire we survived for two days and finally found the Makatu river and came back to our camp. Besides George Town, the capital of Guyana, the rest of it was full of forests and infrastructure like road link, electricity was absent.
3. Iran: Ten days reconnaissance work and successful location of two Magnetite deposit and one limestone deposit was full of thrill and fun. Our team enjoyed this work.
4. Indonesia: The toughest field work that I ever did. The forests at Sumatra are very thick .The forest, where we were moving, suddenly caught fire and we ran for life. In the following day, we located a nickel mineralization, which showed prima facie evidences to continue further exploration.
FOUR POINTS EACH
A. Four moments of Laughter in my life:
1. A misunderstood help:
The local train just moved from Belgharia station and people near the door lifted a running man.
On boarding the compartment, he angrily said, "You people pulled me up unnecessarily. I was one compartment before this compartment. I could get down at the last moment from the running train and ran in the forward direction so that I would not fall. Now I have to go back to Belgharia for the sake of you people."
2. "Snakes" in a tea shop:
In a busy tea shop the glass jars filled with snacks misspelled as "Snakes". The big signboard of the shop repeated this mistake in bold caption" The best hot tea with cold but fresh SNAKES"
3. Prof. S.G.M. In geochemical lab of IIT Khargpur: Absentminded Professor came to class wearing a banyan (left his shirt in his chamber) and wrote on the board " USE ONLY DILUTED REAGENTS INCLUDING DISTILLED WATER" We were confused at first and broke into laughter after he left the class.
4. Another Prof. of Mech. Engg. dept. I.I.T Kharagpur in his thanks giving speech on the Hallday of Lala Lajpat Rai Hall(Lallu Hall )said by slip of tongue, ( he left few connecting words)" Thank you all. I enjoyed my dinner and my wife too." His embarrassed wife left the stage immediately.
FOUR FOOD ITEMS I LIKED MOST:
1. Kacchi Biryani: in this Biryani, both raw rice and meat are cooked simultaneously. The aroma of cooked Biryani becomes the envy of neighbors. I tasted this at Hyderabad and Lucknow. I do not know the recipe. Any reader patiently reading upto this may throw light.
2. Fish cooked in a green Leaf. We usually take rest from our fieldwork by the side of a Streamlet. With the soft cotton Napkin (Gamchha), we used to catch small fishes also. After cleaning, we put these fishes in big green leafs and burn the leaf slowly. The leaf burns completely without the fish being burnt but it is nicely cooked. Only salt is to be added and if you so want put drops of mustard oil.
3. Duck roast: (a tribal Preparation modified a little by me)
A.Slit the back of the Duck and take out the intestine. B.Marinate it with curd and ginger.
C.Put some half cooked and fried onion-Cumin-garlic paste inside the belly and sew the opening.
D.Rub oil or butter on the body and leave it for 10-15 minute. E.Take two earthen dish of equal size and just grease it with oil. Put duck on one and cover it with the other. Seal the joining of two dishes by moistened soil.
F.Dig a hole on ground and put charcoal on the bottom, keep the earthen dish and now fully cover it with charcoal and ignite charcoal from all sides. After half an hour, the aroma shall tell you that the duck roast is "done".
4. Murri-telebhaja-mixture and tea( puffed rice, small onion pakodas etc). Four of us: one poetess, one short skit writter(my friend GG), one short story writer and one long story writer (myself)used to meet with recent write ups of each of us on Saturdays and this was the food item. I still like it over a literary “Adda” with my friends.
FOUR UNFORGETTABLE MOMENTS OF LIFE:
1. Meeting with Indira Gandhi: In 1976 at The OAT of I.I.T Kharagpur I received My Graduation and Post Graduation degree from her hands. She smiled at all of us said "Congratulations, Mr. Biswas"
2. Dinner with Dr. Abdul Kalam Azad at ISM in 1998.(Indian School Of Mines) Dhanbad. He became President of India shortly after that. He met with all of us in the dinner receiving degrees. He enquired from me about my PH.D work and discussed with me for about 5-10 minutes. I was stunned by his deep knowledge in my subject.Next day by alphabetical order and doctoral degree order I was the first to receive my Ph.D from his hands.
3. A narrow escape from a road accident. We were to attend a marriage ceremony and on the National Highway there was a near head on collission but alittle swarve has otherwise saved us the vehicle was badly damaged. we received only scratch type injuries.
4. My last meet with my mother: I was leaving for Saudi Arab, my first assignment of abroad. She came to meet me at Barrackpore. Her last words were " Do a good job and take care. I shall be managing them(my wife and two children)" She was maintainig a very good health. Nine months later she expired suddenly. I did not believe that was my last meet with my mother.
FOUR UNFORGETTABLE PERSONS.
1. My friend GG. (He is a world reputed scientist now, working at NASA. Full name not disclosed): He used to have brain waves occasionally and compelled us to join with him. Few are the followings:
A. Enjoyed the dinner of a marriage ceremony of the daughter of a miser Prof. in the campus being uninvited. We had a fresh haircut and wore Dhoti- Kurta. Prof. easily confused us as members of “Barrati” and made several never before requests for having more sweets. We had a sweet revenge for his past misery of refusing us few cups of Teas at his residence.
B. Posed as beggar in the crowded Gol bazzar of Kharagpur Town and we all earned Rs 25(in 1974) and enjoyed a dinner at Chhedy's( A coffee shop just outside the IIT campus famous for solution point of many problems and designs)
C. Upon being refused a romantic Character in a play, GG successfully proposed and convinced the Director of the play (years elder to him) that he is in with love with her. (We helped very little and were unaware of this fact that this was a drama written by GG long back).
Just before the Grand Viva, he pretended to become mad completely. He went to the chambers of many Professors and told them that all they taught is useless. He met the warden of Sorojini Naidu Hall( ladies hostel) to allow the lovers to meet. The Warden refused this. He broke some glasses and windowpanes and ran away.
However, he did the grand Viva very well. The warden of our Hall told us to rescue him to his home. Only at Kharagpur Platform, we knew all he did was a drama only.
2. Nair Babu: Officially, he was my assistant, but he was more than my guide and friend. I was fresh from the college. He taught me all the technical details of Geological Mapping, Sampling, eye estimation of grade and tactful behavior to manage things
3. Acharayaji: Nairbabu once took me to him. He lived inside a cave of a hill and people used to say that he ate seldom. To me he appeared a Philosopher. He explained to me the meaning of colors and God.
He said" If you do not tune your radio, you are unable to hear Binnaca Geetmala. Tune your mind; you may be able to hear from god."
He refused any future telling or giving medicines or performing any miracles. He only said, "All the bad thing happening around you because the god is trying to communicate something to you so that you may correct the trajectory of your path."
I shall mention about these two persons in detail in my upcoming Novel "Those days, the Jungle days."
4. Manglu Sardar. Our recent field guide. He is also a geologist passing from the University of Nature. We learnt a lot from him. He also listens eagerly from us. He once commented on a short story Of Sarat Babu.
Upon seeing the Dance Drama Of Tagore’s “Shyama”, he pointed out several technical flaws and Said on Shyama" That Beautiful Woman is actually a 'Dahin'(wicked soul performing black magic)
FOUR UNFORGETTABLE DREAMS.
1. A reverse exodus:
The busses, Lorries, bullock carts, special trains moving back and forth towards pre-existing borders of India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan are overloaded. Passengers are as if pasted by Fevicol. People are returning to their old home.
Despite red eyes from super powers, Bharatbarsa, the reunited India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh have made the New Super India.
The Hockey, Cricket, and football teams have become formidable. Super India is now a member of OPEC. Despite ban, many countries are coming to us for tread treaties.
Our Satellites have just reached Mars and recently one satellite is hovering over Bharatbarsa seeking a place to land. It is from a different solar system, saying Billion years back they came here. Our scientists are trying to....
(others break my dream hearing the shouts from me )
2. A commercial break of TV:
Nano rice, wheat, vegetables, oil are available at all supermarkets and malls. You need a small container to buy your monthly grocery.
For a family of four, only four grains of rice and few green dot like vegetables are enough to fill the belly for the dinner.
The cooking is made from a nano gas cylinder fed toy type gas stove and is complete before the serial naming kkkkkkkkkk. starts.
3. My GPS (global positioning system) instrument and Brunton compass both are not working:
I am detached from my field mates during a reconnaissance survey exploration for Iron ore and I am sure the hill in this Island is full of Magnetite.
The sun is about to set and a big white house is seen on a small hillock. A huge rusted iron gate prevents me to enter.
I cleared the bush near the entrance and found a lever like thing. Playing with it suddenly the lever moved and the gate opened.
As I crossed the main gate, blinkering lights came from nowhere and tiny people arrived with bow and arrow. Suddenly, a huge fountain of water started working. From this cover, these liliputs sprayed arrows and I felt ant bites and pain became unbearable.
I found myself in my tent, the generator stopped and mosquitoes were biting me. Hearing my wails, other mates from the nearby tent rushed to my tent and tried to wake me up by blinking their torches.
4. This is the saddest dream:
It was pitching dark and I sat under a tree. The yellow leafs of the tree were falling continuously. Suddenly, somewhere I saw a fire. There was both light and heat. I found it was a funeral pyre. I was scared; I tried to shout for help but failed. This was the saddest dream in my life and it came true.
Four days later, there was a telegram for me" Father serious, Come soon." I reached home and the next day my father expired.
That night I sat under a tree with falling leafs (it was the month of November). When the pyre was lit, I came back to that tree and chill flew in my spine, I saw exactly this in the dream, only four days before.
Four mineral exploration reconnaissance traverse which was full with thrill and fun.
1. Saudi Arabia:. 400km from Riyadh, near Khaniguayah, this was otherwise a unfeasible site for Zinc mineralisation. Myself and my team found out signs of small pockets of very rich Copper and Gold minralisation. This made this deposit as a combined zinc-copper-gold mineralised belt making it economically feasible.
2. Guyana, West indies: Near Makatau river and Brazil border a iron ore mineralisation discovery by myself and my team. We were nearly lost here. In the deep Amazon forest GPS did not work. Rations fell short and our local guides caught two big birds and huge potatoes. Just roasting them on fire we survived for two days and finally found the Makatu river and came back to our camp. Besides George Town, the capital of Guyana, the rest of it was full of forests and infrastructure like road link, electricity was absent.
3. Iran: Ten days reconnaissance work and successful location of two Magnetite deposit and one limestone deposit was full of thrill and fun. Our team enjoyed this work.
4. Indonesia: The toughest field work that I ever did. The forests at Sumatra are very thick .The forest, where we were moving, suddenly caught fire and we ran for life. In the following day, we located a nickel mineralization, which showed prima facie evidences to continue further exploration.
