Tapan Saha who "paints" with bits of newsprint torn off The Times Of India just like, Mr Sengupta says, an Odissi danseuse recreates the Devi by assuming the stance of Mahishasur Mardini and breathes the spirit of the demon slayer in such a way that you can see the Goddess ! Suspend disbelief and you can really see the Goddess .
But then Tapan Saha asks why is it that we can't see the God-dess in all women who are living Durgas of today ?? He himself goes on to answer his own question that we do see Durga..... in women who are closer to the soil, like the Santhal women from Bolpur or Oraon from Jharkhand or a coquettish seductress or perhaps a sex worker..... The tribals live closest to the soil and Mrinmayi "made of the soil" is another way of describing Durga . Kumortuli idol makers use a handful of clay from the courtyard of these women of the night. More importantly the idol we worship is a human interpretation of Durga, cause we imagine her as a Bengali homemaker who comes from her husbands home in the Himalayas to visit her parents with her children Ganesh, Lakshmi, Saraswati and Kartik.
What's Durga Pooja without the Misti Mukh ??
For those looking for good food and easy convenient recipes, this is it....
Do try out these two that we will make during the puja at our place.....
Ranga Aloor Puli :
Ingredients :
Sweet Potato (Ranga Aloo) -1 kg
Coconut,grated -1
Date jaggery (Khejur Gur) -1 cup
Sugar -3 cups
Desi ghee/vanaspati/refined oil -for frying
Sodi-bi-carb -1 pinch
Refined Flour (Maida) -a little(2 tbsp or so)
Method:
Boil the Sweet Potato ( ranga aloo) but do not boil so much that it becomes mushy.
Peel and mash well with maida and sodi-bi-carb to make a dough. Keep aside.
In 3 cups of sugar add 1 1/2 cups of water to make a thick syrup.
Take the grated coconut and in a wok with the gur and stir till both mix well to make a filling.
Now divide the dough into equal parts and in each ball put the filling and seal carefully.
Heat the oil or ghee for frying on high flame. Then take the wok off the flame and put a few balls to fry. Do not put too many to fry at the same time or they will stick to each other. When red remove to a dish.
Put the balls immediately into the syrup. Keep immersed for 2-3 hours before serving.
Chirer Puli Pithe :
Ingredients:
Puffed Rice (Chire) -125 grams
Cottage Cheese (Chana) -125 grams
Refined Flour (Maida ) -1tsp
Desi Ghee -for frying
Sugar -500 grams
Water -2 cups
Filling :
Misri/nokuldana
Khoya,grated - 100 grams
Green Cardamom ,powdered -1/2 tsp
Method :
Make a thick syrup by stirring water and sugar. Add 1 tsp milk or 1 tsp lime juice to remove impurities from the syrup.
Wash the puffed rice and soak for an hour. Squeeze out all water. Grated the cottage cheese (chana )and mix the flour with it.
Mash the soaked puffed rice and mix with the chana -maida mix.
Make equal ball out of the mix and put a little filling in each. Do not stuff too much filling.
Heat the ghee for frying and fry each golden on low flame till crispy.
Cool the syrup a little and immerse the puli in it . Soak for two hours.
Tip : 1 ) First fry one ball and see . If the puli breaks add more flour to the dough.
2 ) If neither Misri or Nokuldana is available to you then put sugar instead in the filling .
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