Magnetic snake eggs

I got hold of these magnetic snake eggs from an obscure shop in Gariahat shopping complex. My grandson has 2 such sets. I started thinking what can be done with these eggs. Then i came up with the idea of using their magnetic property and oblong shape for creating some fun movements.

The above 2 videos are result of that afford.

Happy New Year to my friends. Happy 2016.

Paan, chewing beetle nut....the origin

Pan chewing beetle nut....the origin

Markendaya the sage had his Ashram near Varanasi. This is a history of more than 2 to 3 thousand years old. Mahabharat was yet to be written by Vyas muni. As we all know those were the days when people used to survive by eating fruits, flowers etc. Preparation of rice and roti were yet to be introduced as staple diet. That was the time when best of the brains were used to to find fruits , leaves and flowers which human being can eat without any harm. There used to be scouts going round and spotting eatable trees and shrubs. Back to Markendya he was one of those sages who used to encourage his disciple to explore the surroundings for food.The general logic at that time was whatever animals can eat human being can also eat. Thus we find many of the tribals in today's world  survive by eating grass. Monkeys had been useful then because they will be tasting the fruits growing up in trees, human being been derivative of monkeys so whatever they ate suited us. Thus edible fruits were discovered by the volunteers by following the eating habits of animals,birds, fish etc.Enough of background and now let us come to pan and it's origin. Shrishanu ,disciple of the sage was lead discoverer of food. Once he spotted some goats were enjoying the leaves of a vine. He further noticed that those goats will every day head for those vines first without stopping anywhere in between. He carefully plucked some leaves from that vine and washed those. He tentatively took a bite , found it to be of strange taste but not bitter. He ate some more portion of the leaf and found it to have some effect on him. He went running to the sage Markendya who had just finished his lunch. Shrishanu requested the guru to eat one leaf, he explained the effect what it had on him. Muni smilingly ate one slowly and liked the taste. After few hours he found that his digestive system has improved. So eating of that leaf became a ritual after a meal. One day Shrishanu noticed some squirrels were eating some round nuts up above the tall tree, some of those nuts were lying on the ground. He being the food finder took those nuts to his hut. He cleaned and allowed it to dry. After a few days he peeled the cover and tried the hard nut inside, it was not harmful but he enjoyed chewing it, so again Guru was informed about the nut. Then Markedya suggested why not the leaf and nut are eaten together so that it can be chewed longer. Well thus pan and beetle were discovered somewhere near Varanasi. No wonder that Banarsi pan is so famous. I am still carrying on my research to unravel how lime or Calcium carbonate was introduced, this introduction requires a chemist or kabiraj who would suggest to eat Alkali in pan to neutralize acid produced after oxidation .

Disclaimer; The above article is based on fact,fiction and my imagination. The origin of pan remains disputed in Asian countries like Indonesia, Bali, India etc.

Taki..close encounter with Bangladesh of second kind

Taki ...Close encounter with Bangladesh of second kind

The trip to Taki which is about 60 km from Kolkata and can be described as almost going to Bangladesh. The driver who was driving our hired SUV said in Bengali " Okhan car manush epar theke dekha jai." The way he told as though the  people of Bangladesh are aliens and it is something like sighting aliens. But then you never know you may start using their mobile network sitting in your room in municipality run guest house and you land up paying international roaming and data charges. Yes that happened to me with my service provider Vodafon but then that is another experience for another time to share.

One can reach this scenic place by road,it takes 1 and half hours. The road to be taken is via Bantala, Basanti etc. We booked the municipality run Guest House in advance by sending money order. The room rents are reasonable at 450 or so, no AC though. The food in the guest house is homely and don't look for Mughlai and all those fancy foods. It is a normal place for for normal people, not for showing off crowd or so called ultra modern crowd. Our trip was one big adda which started from Calcutta and continued in SUV, then in the Guest House, then on motorbike pulled vans and ultimately on boat on Ichamati river. The other side of Ichamati is Khulna of BangladeshYes one can see the Bangladesh shoreline clearly.

The municipality has done good job in developing the river front by constructing gardens and providing benches for the visitors.There is a small market catering to the small needs of the tourists. The river can be enjoyed by hiring a country boat with outboard engine for 600 rupees.The boat will take you to the confluence of three rivers Ichamati,Kalindi and Bidydhari.Ichamati is subsidiary of Padma of Bangladesh,ultimately it and Kalindi joins Bidydhari and meanders to Bay of Bengal via Diamond Harbour.

There are mangroves along the Indian side shoreline and which has been developed for forest walk in 2012. It is called mini Sunderban, about 6 km from the Guest House. One has to cross a BSF check post to go to that forest, better carry identity card or otherwise you won't be allowed to go to that scenic place.The forest walk has been developed by making elevated walking platform, one get the experience of jungle with the smell of trees and various birds flying in and out.
The other important event was the boat ride on Ichamati,going upto the confluence and watching the riverside activities. It is about 45 minutes boat ride. As we went in December,2015 so could purchase authentic khejur gur.
We stayed for one night, and that night was unforgettable experience for me. Three local gentlemen were sitting in the verandah and were belting away all old Bengali hit of Hemanta and Manna plus choicest Rabindrasangeet. 
It was one of those unforgettable experience for me at 9pm in the night with Ichamati flowing by and the melodious songs wafting in. I went out and sat with them for one hour. There was one gentleman with his melodious voice sang for me. These 3 friends out of which 2 are retired headmasters of local school come everyday to the guest house at 6.30 in the evening and they spend time with each other by reciting poems or singing songs. No TV for them or club but they were contended with whatever they have. The simple joy of them touched my heart and i returned with a memory which i will never forget.
This place is highly recommended for a trip.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROL8rcEM-Uk
The link for forest walk is as above.