Doodling Noodles

Doodling Noodles

This one is dedicated to all the Mothers and Housewives who spend their entire life in feeding their families and rarely receive their due reward for a job well done. Seriously, cooking is one of the most essential and the least valued art that we can think of.

The incident dates back to my bachelor days when I could cook only Maggi and that too in crisis situations. My confidence in cooking (or the lack of it) reflected in my cooking repertoire, which was also not strong enough.

On a rainy weekend in Gurgaon, I went to Sadar Bazaar along with my scientist neighbour-cum-friend, Dr. Salman Hashmi (no, the name is NOT changed for confidential reasons; it’s his real name only). Just as we were about to return, it started raining cats and dogs, and drowned the market in a matter of minutes. There was no point in waiting for the downpour to stop, so we decided to brave the rain and took a rickshaw.

Luckily, that day I had purchased a covered bucket, which we made good use of by putting in all our valuables like mobile, purse, watch etc. As our rickshaw snailed through the waterlogged streets, we could hardly keep our eyes open — the rain was that heavy. Specky people like me would agree that rain poses an additional problem for us…wish we had wipers on our specs, don’t we?

Although completely drenched, we reached home safe and sound before dusk. However, I had an additional problem to reckon — there was nothing to eat for dinner and there was no way I could go to my nearby eatery either. The water on the streets was waist-deep, I thought.

So, I pressed F1 on my scientist friend’s door and searched for a Maggi. Probably, I wasn’t ‘feeling lucky’ enough and so I got some Hakka noodles instead, which I took as a substitute of Maggi.

I thought my survival problem was solved and so I passed the next couple of hours with my companion i.e. my computer. 

At around 9 o’clock, I opened the Hakka noodles pack and discovered that it was not meant for novice chefs like me. It was actually one type of chowmin and there was no trace of any in-built masala pack.

I knew noodles had to be boiled first and then fried as well along with some vegetables or peanuts, at least. Problem was that I was not having any ingredient other than oil and salt. I looked down my balcony praying, “water, water please retreat, this lonely bachelor needs to eat”, but past experiences told me that the water-logging would not log-off until the next two days.

I returned to my room, ignited the stove, and boiled the noodles. Just as I was about to draw out the remaining water from the boiled noodles, I got distracted for a second and the vessel toppled. Half of the noodles fell on the floor and the remaining half fell on the mat on which I used to rub my feet before going to bed.

When tragedy strikes, be prepared to receive the next blow. Perhaps, this is what my tarot cards read on that day. But I was not the one to give up. I took the noodles from the floor as well as from the “clean” part of the mat, and washed it with cold water to purify it. I wondered what Ma would have done in such a situation.

I finished the remaining procedure of cooking noodles and ate it as well. It did taste awful, but at least I could eat it without vomiting.

Often, adversities teach us better ways to live. For me, that ill-fated noodles incident gave a new found zeal. Noodles or chowmin (cooked by my Ma only) was one of my favourite dishes. I thought if I could prepare edible noodles without the necessary ingredients then definitely I could cook it lot better when I am well prepared.

The zeal paid off, and in the next couple of months, I learnt to cook a number of items. Of course, with a lot of technical support from my Mother.

Chowmin still remains a mystery for me, and I believe no one can cook it like Ma does in her own unique way.

A Memorable Sunday

You don't learn a lot of things unless you get into problems. This is something that I learnt from a bizarre incident that took place a couple of months back.

After having several busy weekends in the previous months, I wanted to enjoy a hassle-free, restful weekend and so I chose not to accompany my wife on her visit to her maternal uncle's place.

I had passed the Saturday as merrily as I could and wished to pass the Sunday with similar glee. However, we had plans to buy a refrigerator and so I decided to meet my wife on her way back at Ultadanga and visit Capital Electronics together.

I was awakened by a call at 11 AM. My wife was coming back and I had to move fast to meet her within an hour. Alas! Even on a cloudy Sunday with no rain, there was no scope to wake up and say "let me sleep again!"

At Ultadanga, I found my wife with two attachments - her sister and a small bag. As per our plan, we purchased a refrigerator from Capital Electronics and asked them to deliver it next day.

Thereafter, we boarded an auto for Haldiram's. The auto had some space at the back and I decided to make good use of it. I placed the bag there and thought I would take it after de-boarding and paying the fare.

On our way back to Haldiram's, my wife was too happy about the refrigerator acquisition and was completely aloof of the surroundings. We got down at Haldiram's and I paid the fare. When the autowallah returned the change, for a moment I started calculating if he returned the correct amount.

I am a bit weak with mental calculations and often get lost in them. After I was done with the calculation, I remembered that I had to take the bag that I had placed at the backside of the auto, but by that time the auto was gone. Unfortunately, neither my wife nor my sis-in-law had remembered to take the bag. Usually my wife does not forget to take her belongings but that day she was probably in a different world throughout the auto ride.

 

I ran after the auto, but it was too far and stopped nowhere. In tense situations like these, it is difficult to keep one's cool; else I could have easily retrieved the bag by waiting for the auto's return at the other end of the road. Instead, I followed it on another auto. I informed the second auto driver about the bag and got down at Kaikhali where the vehicles stopped at the red light. Unfortunately, the auto that I was following was not the one that had my bag. I had lost it.

I desperately peeked into each auto standing there, but could not find the bag. Soon after, I gave up and returned to Haldiram. At the Haldiram stop, the driver of the auto that I had used for chasing informed me that he had found the auto that had the bag, and I could retrieve the bag from their union office. The auto driver provided me the address of their union office, but I was reluctant to go there.

My wife is very possessive about her belongings and insisted that I must retrieve the bag anyhow. So, I took another auto from Haldiram and asked the driver to drop me at their union office at Narayantala. The driver informed me that there were two union offices; one for the stand auto and the other for the flying autos. The office at Narayantala was for flying autos and those autos can be recognized by an orange logo at the back.

When I visited the union office and explained the problem, the staff showed me a register containing photographs and addresses of all the auto drivers of flying autos in Ultadanga-Airport route. I tried to identify the auto driver, but it was futile. After all, how often do we try to remember the face of bus conductor, rikshawwallah, or autowallah? We depend so much on them and still, to us, they are just faceless identities. Isn't this incredible?

From the auto union office, I could not get more than a mere assurance that I will be informed if the bag is deposited, but the way the auto network was organized really amazed me. Truly, it works like an organization in all senses, with every member's information duly recorded and their roles and scope properly defined.

I came back home empty handed and could sense my wife's despair. My Sunday was ruined.

I waited till 4 o'clock and then called the union office multiple times, but my calls were not picked. So, I again went to visit the union office.

After waiting for almost an hour in front of the union office, I asked an auto driver if the office was going to open in the evening. He asked what the matter was, and I told that I had lost my bag in an auto. The auto driver started querying further and I described the entire episode including the bag's contents and all. Then the auto driver told me that I had left the bag in his auto only and he had looked for me at Haldiram's, but in the afternoon he had deposited the bag in a shop near his home.

I was so glad to hear that. I thought it is rightly said that when you set your heart on something and make the requisite efforts to achieve it, the entire universe conspires to make you succeed.

I requested the auto driver to take me to the shop where he had kept the bag, but he ensured that he will get it himself.

The auto went, and I had to wait for another hour for its return. Finally, I got the bag and rewarded the auto driver with Rs 100.

The bag did not contain anything precious, but still, it feels really good when you find a lost item, isn't it? For me, it felt even better because my efforts did not go in vain and I could make my wife happy. Also, I felt happy that through this bizarre incident, I learnt something new. I learnt how the auto network operates. I learnt that even in today's greedy world, honesty still persists.

                                                       Gangtok Tour

INTRODUCTION

Over the last one year, I have been to so many places that one may start considering me as a seasoned traveler. Well, I may not be a seasoned traveler, but I do have a penchant for writing and I strongly believe in sharing information. So, I am back with yet another blog on my travelling experience — this time, from Kolkata to Gangtok.

For many reasons apart from nostalgia, being employed in Kolkata had been on my wish-list for a long time. Very recently, my wish got fulfilled and I relocated to Kolkata after having spent a decade in Delhi-NCR. 

People who have relocated with family would agree that relocation takes away a lot from you, apart from money of course. Having relocated recently, I was barely having any energy to think about a tour, but a long weekend always calls for a vacation plan and I got that just after joining my new company. The Bengali New Year is celebrated on 15th of April, and this New Year, 1418, started on a Friday thereby giving us the opportunity to enjoy an extended weekend.

Like Delhi, Kolkata has a few tourist spots within its 1000 km radius, and one can take advantage of that during the extended weekends. Gangtok is one such place, and I must admit, though Gangtok is not as celebrated as its counterparts Shimla and Nainital, it has lot more to offer —

There is peace, there is calmness

Away from the chaos, away from the madness

There are lakes, there are green hills

And above all…there is snow in the month of April!

Gangtok and Darjeeling are two neighborhood hill stations, but in different states. Gangtok is ideal for vacationers having a week's time, while Darjeeling can be covered during the weekend. So, initially Darjeeling was on our radar, but the news of some regular disturbances in Darjeeling perturbed us, and we had to zero-in on Gangtok.

 Both these places, Gangtok and Darjeeling are well connected from a place called Siliguri, which is in West Bengal. There is no direct link to Gangtok or Darjeeling. First you have to reach Siliguri by bus, train, or by air and then you can board a car or SUV to reach Gangtok or Darjeeling. There is a toy train from Siliguri, but it takes lot of time and tickets are not readily available.

 We chose to reach Siliguri by bus. The Royal Cruiser bus service provides comfortable AC buses, and we booked our tickets 10 days in advance.

 TOUR SUMMARY

·         Dates: 14.4.2011 to 17.4.2011

·         No. of Members: 5 (including 3 ladies and 2 gents)

·         Duration: 4 nights and 3 days

·         Places Visited

o   Nathula Pass

o   Tsomgo (Chaangu) Lake

o   Tsomgo (Chaangu) market

o   MG Marg Market

o   Enchey Monastery

o   Flower Exhibition

o   Ropeways

·         Route Followed:  Kolkata -> Siliguri ->Gangtok->Siliguri->Kolkata

·         Distance and Time

o   Kolkata to Siliguri: 600 kms/12 hrs

o   Siliguri to Gangtok: 114 kms/5 hrs

o   Gangtok to Nathula Pass: 54 kms/4 hrs

·         Mode of Transport and Cost

o   Kolkata to Siliguri: Bus (Royal Cruiser)/Rs. 900 per head

o   Siliguri to Gangtok: SUV (Sumo)/Rs. 1300 (reserved)

o   Gangtok to Nathula Pass: SUV (Mahindra Max)/Rs. 600 per head (shared)

o   Gangtok City Tour: Car (Maruti Omni)/Rs. 1600 (2 cars)

·         Total Expenditure: Our total expenditure was round about Rs. 21000 and this included:

o   Hotel bills for 5 members for 2 nights

o   Overall traveling cost

o   Entry fee at various sites for 5 people

Note: Food and shopping costs are not included here because these are subjective.

TOUR DETAILS

Day 1 (Thursday, 14th April, 2011)

We boarded the bus from Korunamoyee in Kolkata at 8:00 PM. On the way, the bus stopped once for dinner and then the overnight journey led us to Siliguri at 8:15 AM.

Day 2 (Friday, 15th April, 2011)

At Siliguri, we first got our return tickets of the same bus. We had booked the tickets in advance, but the rule was to get the return ticket from Siliguri only.

We were approached by a few travel agents who offered ‘complete’ packages for Rs 14000 or so, but we did not pay heed to their offer because our recent tour of Rajasthan had given us a lot of ideas and courage to visit places on our own. As per our experience, it’s a lot cheaper and better to select the hotels and conveyance ourselves rather than depend on package providers. So, we reserved an SUV and started off for Gangtok at 9 AM.

The road to Gangtok was filled with twists and turns, but it was not a joyride; due to regular landslides the road had become one-way at several turns, leading to frequent traffic jams. Though a river accompanied us all along the way to Gangtok, the frequent traffic halts marred the beauty. Besides, it was hot and humid; when my sister asked the driver if we would find snow at Gangtok, we laughed out loudly — really, at that point it did not seem that we were destined for a mesmeric surprise.

It took more than 5 hours to reach Deorali stand in Gangtok.

The external SUVs are not allowed to enter main city, and so we had to board small taxis to reach the taxi stand called 'Petrol Pump'. It took us just 10 minutes to reach the main city.

At the main city, we were approached by a few touts who offered help to search hotels, but again we searched hotels on our own and checked into a hotel called Sunny Guest House. After refreshing ourselves, we had a nice Bengali lunch at a nearby restaurant.

Back at the hotel, we talked to the hotel Manager regarding the scenic places of Gangtok, and he suggested that since we were not having enough time, it was best to visit Nathula Pass where we could get snow. We agreed to his suggestion and decided to visit Nathula Pass the next day.

Visiting Nathula Pass required identification documents of atleast two group members and photographs of each of the group members. So, we had to get those formalities done before moving out for a stroll at the main shopping arena of Gangtok —The MG Marg. It was raining incessantly, though not heavily, and we could not really enjoy the ambience.

The market was open only till 8:30 PM, and so we came back by 9 PM and had dinner at the hotel.

Day 3 (Saturday, 16th April, 2011)

The day started with a beautiful sight — that of the snow-covered Kanchenjunga Mountain amidst a couple of green hills. The hotel staff informed us that we were lucky to witness the magical sight because it’s not visible too often.

We set-off for a visit to Nathula Pass at around 8:00 am on a shared SUV that took 12 passengers. On the way, some time was spent in getting the documents verified by the authorities before we could actually set-off for Nathula Pass. The distance from proper Gangtok to Nathula Pass was merely 54 kms, but the path was treacherous.  There were innumerable twists and turns, and with each turn we were climbing several meters and the climate was getting colder. Soon, we could see far away mountains filled with snow.  The more we progressed, the more we found snow scattered here and there. Also, there were waterfalls in abundance.

After traveling for more than two hours, our vehicle stopped at Tsomgo market. When we de-boarded the vehicle, we could not control our excitement. The makeshift tents at the market were filled with snow, and for the first time in life, we got the chance to touch snow.

From the market, we got jackets and boots on rent (50Rs each), and again moved forward. On the way, we crossed the Tsomgo (Chaangu) lake, which was partly frozen. After an hour or so, we finally reached the Nathula Pass at 12:15 PM — the sight was absolutely awesome; nothing less than what we saw in movies. We were informed that we were at 14000 ft above the sea level, and a restaurant called 14 Thousand symbolized the height.

The Nathula Pass was the gateway to a small snow covered hill where we did some cheeky skating and played with snowballs. Besides, we could salute the national flag and touch the Indo-China border.

It was a place where any tourist would like to spend hours, cherish every moment, and capture every second as the treasure of lifetime experiences. Unfortunately, the driver did not allow us to spend more than 45 minutes, and soon we were backtracking. On the way, we stopped at Tsomgo (Chaangu) Lake.

The sun had risen by then and the beauty had improved a million times. Words cannot explain how it looks when sun rays fall on snow-covered mountains. We clicked many pictures, and all of them looked fit to be set as our Desktop background.

People do silly things when on a tour, and so did we. At the Tsomgo (Chaangu) Lake, we rode on Yak and clicked a few pictures. Thereafter, we moved on to Tsomgo market, deposited the rented jackets and shows, and had lunch in the form of Maggi and fried rice. The snow melting from the rooftops was giving the impression of rains and the climate was chilling. After lunch, we hurried to get into our vehicle and reached Gangtok at around 4 PM after yet another treacherous ride.

While coming down to Gangtok, we looked below and saw dark clouds covering the Gangtok city, but thankfully there was no rain in the city. In the evening, we again visited the MG Marg market and did lot of shopping.

Day 4 (Sunday, 17th April, 2011)

Our day again started at around 8 AM. After breakfast, we hired a couple of taxis to visit the nearby sight-scenes. We visited a few monasteries and a flower exhibition. We also had a ropeway ride and reached hotel at 11:30 AM.

After lunch, we set off for Siliguri on a shared SUV and reached Siliguri at around 5 PM. The way back took us only 4 hours because there were lesser vehicles on the road due to the upcoming elections.

Our bus was scheduled to depart at 7 PM, and so we thought of doing some shopping at the HongKong market in Siliguri. Our decision backfired and we were somehow able to make it to the bus stand at 7 PM.

We had our dinner on the way back to Kolkata and reached Kolkata the next day at around 7 AM, and my hectic office life started the same day.