My best birthday gift ever .......Fatherhood

Turning 33 tomorrow, and this year have been gifted with the best bday gift a man can ask for in the form of Kabir, my son who is still a toddler born two weeks before my birthday. Next year onwards he would be big enough to blow candles on my cake and fatherhood has changed me more than my youth and my perceived maturity could change me in so many years, do I miss anything, only one my dad’s presence and  nothing else.

•  Fatherhood makes you realize that there is more pleasure in just watching your baby smile than in watching your favorite football team ( Barcelona) knock the shit out of everyone else.
• You realize you don’t need a spa any more as the “gaa gaa goo goo” of your baby can relax any level of stress on your mind and your body.
•  There is more pleasure in cleaning his poop than in eating out in your most favorite Chinese restaurant.
• There is more satisfaction when your son is sleeping in your arms than being able to get the tickets of F1 race in Greater Noida.
• Watching him cry then ensuring he stops crying is more gratifying than closing a big business deal that you have been working on for months, sometimes years.
•  Your favorite smell is no longer Cool Water it’s your baby’s smell  in your own room.
•  You realize that being pee’d on by this baby is in some ways is not as gross as one thought it would be.
• You start hating fire crackers and  because your kid can’t sleep.
•  You realize that being up all night because the baby is crying can have a much larger positive impact on your personality than being up all night partying in the best night club in town.
• You realize how great your folks were, they took such good care of us with limited means.

My son has already made me everything that being a real man would stand for.

How to identify plastic soccer fans ( observation )

How to identify a plastic fan

PS: I declare that I am a plastic fan too

•  Would support a successful club

•  Would know the names and history of a couple of players an would keep shouting the same Eg: come on Rooney knowing that Rooney is united's biggest striker.  Sometimes they might end up saying  "come on Messi " even while Messi is on the bench.

• All they know about is the last two to three years of their respective clubs that too after taking obligations from Larry Page on Google. The real plastic fans, after reading this might start googling on the history of their own respective clubs so they can claim to be relatively unplastic.

• They have no respect for other clubs or players, this is most common. If I like Madrid I say Barca is rubbish  and the opposite. If you are a true Barca fan you have to realize Barca is great because of a performance benchmark set by Madrid.

• They never accept weakness or problems in their own clubs , the problems are always with the refree, the pitch, the fans, the weather, the government , Justin Bieber whatever.

• A lot of plastic fans like a club because they like their jerseys , sometimes you meet people wearing jerseys of random clubs of whom they claim to be fan of, this might be a starting point for them to develop a liking for a club. So if you see someone wearing a Celtic jersey, or a Roma jersey or a Galatasaray jersey you know what might happen.

• At this point a lot of plastic fans would feel what the hell I know United players of the past Cantona, Sheringham, schmiechel etc etc, I can not be a plastic fan. Believe me if this is what you were thinking right now, you are more plastic than Shilpa Shetty's nose.

• They hurl a lot of swears and abuses as it compensates for their lack of understanding for the game.

• They always watch the late night games live and keep updating their social network statuses and go to work a little late so the world knows that you follow the sport. All day at work you keep blabbering about how good CR7 was last night.

with no offence to anyone, I think most of us in some ways is plastic

Kolkata must have street food guide

Calcutta must haves street-by-street guide:

• Kosha Mangsho (Bengali mutton curry) from Golbari (Shyambazar.
• Phirni (rice pudding)at Aliya, Bentick Street
• Steaks (with chilled beer!!) at Oly Pub.This joint is at Park Street.
• Kabiraji Cutlet from Regent (S N Banerjee Road)
• Moghlai Parota (mince paranthas) from Anadi Cabin (S N Banerjee Road)
• Phulkopir Singara (cauliflower samosas) from Mrityunjoy (Lansdowne)
• Double Egg Chicken Roll from Kusum on Park Street.
  Nizam’s is a close contender!)
• Chicken Rezala (East Bengali style) from Shabbir (off C R Avenue)
• Ujjala's Chanachur ( no comparison anywhere)
• Telebhaja (fried fritters) from Putiram, College Street.
• Daab-e-chingri (prawns cooked in a coconut shell) from Kewpies, Elgin Lane.
• Bijoli Grill's Fish Roll
• Mochar Chop (banana flower croquettes) from Apanjan, Sadananda Road
• Boudir Lebu Cha (This is the evergreen lemon tea.) Deshapriya Park.
• Kochuri & Torkari from Tasty Corner, Mandeville Gardens.
• Phuchka/Churmur/ Dahi Phuchka from Bilas or Boudi (Southern Avenue)
• Doi Kochuri from Sonali (Gol Park)
• Chicken Cutlet near Samur (Bhowanipur)
• Chelo Kabab from Peter Cat: This can't be explained.....
• Coffee House er coffee: try the float with ice cream.
• Bharer Chaa (tea in earthenware pots): on the Maidan,
  from shining brass vessels on a rainy day. This is also good at
  Calcutta Stock Exchange street (Lyon's Range). Laloo must have tried this.
  That's perhaps the reason behind the "kulhar" wave in Indian Railways.

Here's the Must-have dessert list:

• Mishti Doi & Rosogolla from Mithai (Beck Bagan)
• Norom pak & Icecream Sandesh (also, all types) from Balaram (Bhowanipur)
• Pantua from Bancharam
• Indrani from Ganguram
• Rabri from Chittaranhan
• Darbesh (Bengali ladoo) from Sen Mahasay
• Amritti from Bhim Nag/Ganguram, Maniktala (Jalebis are no match)

Here are some out-of-the-world traditional Must-have's :

• Aamer morobba - the best outside Gariahat market
• Kool er achar - the best outside Gariahat market
• Shukno mashla makha tetul - churanwalas outside all schools,
  much to the delight of the students and dismay of the parents
• Dulaler tal mishri /Dulaler hojmi - mind boggling and healthy too
• Bikrampurer kashundi - Mustard just pales next to this
• Machher kochuri – How bong can we get?!
• Churmur - In my opinion the best of both jhalmuri and phuchka.
• The sad thing of course is that it is unheard of elsewhere.
• Alukabli - Vivekananda Park or opposite Menoka Cinema
• Muri Ghonto (spicy fish head fried rice) - Defies description.
• Kumro Phul Bhaja (pumpkin flower friters) - In little Chittaranjan Avenue food joints.
• Kora Paker Sondesh – sublime!
  Especially the jolbhora talshansh in winter, oozing liquid palm gur!
• Bondey - How does one describe this sticky sweet delicacy ?
• Pati Shopta - A delicate crepe with a filling of coconut and gur
• Chhanar Payesh - Better yet lighter than rabdi. Anyday.

Live Kashmir Travelogue

Day 1. 

Somehow you are scared of this place, there is always some fear while coming. here, fear of people hating us Indians, fear also of the place being overrated and not being as good as you dreamt that it is. 

Kashmiris are totally opposite of all that you think they would be, ok we are tourists and they are being nice to us, but they certainly don't have to be. They are very very warm and courteous, all the people I have met. 

The experience of staying in a houseboat is outrageous , fortunately our houseboat is widely considered to be the best in town and  managed by ITC. 

Tulip garden is the highlight of the day and plans are made for a great day 2 for a one day dash to Sonmarg. Can't wait. 

Day 2

Living in a houseboat where all the markets move around in a shikara, from clothes to Kashmiri saffron to flowers every shop was coming home this is unique. 

Our travel to Sonmarg was the highlight as we thought we might get to see some snow and by joe we did. There was snow all over the place on the way and we were lucky as the snow would melt in another 10 days as per locals. Walking in the snow is something else, the feel of the snow was a first for me and the combination with the river Sindhu was out of this world. A day well spent .

My perceptions for these Kashmiri people is getting better and better, these guys are warmer than any place in India easily. 

Look forward to the trip to Gulmarg tomorrow. Had lovely Dum Aloo kashmiri for dinner.

  

Day 3: Gulmarg

Do we even know how beautiful mornings are, more so in a place like Srinagar, witnessed a sunrise in a scenic lake background. 

Our lead driver Rashid Bhai is such a nice man, always talks nice and positive about everything . He has driven for 32 years and has seen the best and the worst of the cycle of tourists. 

Gulmarg is a pure white paradise full of snow, the gondola was a unique experience and while on top I had a ball with all the snow sports like skiing and ice scooters. Skiing was a first time for me and is forever edged in memory. The terrain up there is beautiful and thats an understatement understatement. I had my customary chai and Maggi up there. What a place an I have suddenly developed this love for skiing that I shall come back again for soon.  I am glad that my mother enjoyed it too. 

Day 4: Drive to Pahalgam

The roads are beautiful for most parts but the drive from Gulmarg to Pahalgam is not the greatest due to the amount of traffic one witnesses on road. We passed through Anantnag and Srinagar , and there was excess security today. Actually gun men in encounter uniforms is not unusual to watch due to the recent events that have happened in the valley. Anantnag was at the heart of terror infrastructure and it was evident from the rustic look of the town that the town would be full of hard liners who are easy to manipulate. Rashid Bhai says all is well and all Kashmiris broadly want to live in India, I don't think so as I saw one bus with a poster of the Pakistani cricket team. Anyhow Pahalgam is a beautiful place with a river Lidder flowing right in front of our hotel Pine and Peak the best hotel in town they say. 

Day 5: Chilling in Pahalgam

We were incredibly lucky to have witnessed snowfall on high peaks at Pahalgam , a feeling which can't be described in words. I just feel Pahalgam needs more tourism infrastructure and it has potential to be the hottest tourist spot that there is , the natural beauty is unparalleled , the dip in the river Lidder can be literally a spine chilling experience for most. We needed a day like this and we did. The views in this place took a lot of our camera memory card spaces. 

Day 6:

Time to say goodbye to Kashmir has started with a drive back from Pahalgam , Rashid Bhai took us from a different route to Bej Behara that took us through some of the smallest villages in Kashmir meandering through apple and walnut orchards, great drive to come to Srinagar, where we finally took that Shikara ride in the Dal lake. The floating market is is unique and very good. The number of houseboats in Dal Lake can put Nagin lake to shame ten times over. Dal lake is beautiful but commercialized  Great day finishes with generous helpings of Alloo Dum courtesy Raees on our houseboat. This one is even better than the earlier one , sleeping early today, can't wait to be home. 

On the way back from Pahalgam Rashid Bhai did open up about militancy, azaadi and the opinion youth in Kashmir had on India, quite enlightening to hear from horse's mouth. 

Day 7:

En of our week long trip with a tough drive to the airport where you shall be checked at least five times. Certainly one of the best holiday I have ever had, my advice go in the winter months, snow is fun