"Men worship the rising, not the setting sun."

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan said once “Hinduism is not just a faith. It is the union of reason and intuition that can not be defined but is only to be experienced. Evil and error are not ultimate. There is no Hell, for that means there is a place where God is not, and there are sins which exceed his love”

If god could be seated at one place then worshiping him geographically would have been much easier. Now that the world is segregated into so many parts and that the god is omnipresent, the bridge in-between too needs to be diversified. Today, spirituality is modernity influenced and so is reaching across the seas. At a large extent, lot of Hindu priests are getting opportunities abroad for performing religious rituals and take up related activities. Diplomas in spiritual studies and similar areas are bringing the practicing priests chunk of jobs abroad. Indians staying in Singapore, Canada, USA, and others are demanding well-educated priests for undertaking all the religious rituals. Must say these jobs are well paid and offer a great living. There are various Gurukuls and institutions like Sanskrit School in Varanasi which offer proper studies. The products of these are often send abroad to work as priests in temples and also lecturers in foreign colleges.

As a matter of fact, lot of young men who are abreast with Sanskrit terms, the language and worshipping details are showing interest because of the money influence. no doubt, the job of a priest involves intense study of Vedas, Shastras and other holy books too, which is a well demanded thumb rule in the process. In addition to it, the profession strictly puts barricade on consumption of non-vegetarianism, alcohol, smoking and others addictions. Moreover, one cannot wear western influenced clothes and is expected to wear Dhoti and Kurta with a small pony tail on head which completes the attire of a Hindu priest. The toughest part being, leading a life completely in celibacy and restricting oneself from nuptial knot and not involving in activities related to sex. Considering the western influence that is changing the present Indian generation at 180 degrees, adhering strictly to the rules is just not easy. Though at the same time, I must add there are Gurukuls where in-depth study of religious Hindu books is done and as a lecture given to students. The spectrum of the religion is so diverse that lot of foreign people are pursuing studies in it and aspire to scholar one day. In fact there are courses offered in Hindu studies in Oxford. The religion seeks a new face and revolution all over again. Not many of us know that Niels Bohr, the famous physicist who developed the Bohr model of the atom preferred going through Upanishads to ask questions. The most striking part of this religion that most us ignore is that somewhere the country is identified by the religion.

What you call it when the saga of the great religion turns into courses and followed by profession, is it healthy to pay to get good worships or train someone. Today, we play music player to listen to Hanuman Chalisa and others holy prayers. The religion is the seed behind Buddhism and relates to many aspects of fundamentalism. So, will the Hanuman remain a good omen and reside in the pockets of Obama?

Highway on my plate too!

Now that the show has almost ventured into most of the places in the country, still, my comment keeps the entire 'highway' incomplete. And here it goes..Being born to travel freak parents takes you to all the nooks and corners of the country making sure that nothing was left to be unseen. Right from the time when I was a toddler, I have been travelling pretty well and kept guesing why India is so diverse. The big question was answered on the way to South India.We all know the fact that Idlis, Dosas, Sambar, Rasam and related items are a staple diet in South while they happen to be our first preference on the menu card in North.At a point when we are in search of forks, knives and spoons to eat South Indian cuisine, Madrasis (as we call them so with love) venture alone into the pool of rice with the enitre hand in it.Must add, they dip into the mountain of rice without swimming lessons and swimming suit too. Maverick is the one who leaves no stain on the plate and that it can be used to next serving without wash. Jokes apart, South Indian food is identified by the little sour element that they have as tamrind is a significant ingredient in most of the items. To top it all, all these delicacies are mostly made in coconut oil unlike mustard and refind in North which gives a certain flavor and aroma. This is why the food in the land of South India differs from rest. Talking of Rasam in particular, which can be described as South Indian soup is extremly healthy and good for digestion. The menu card in Dakshin is incomplete without curd rice or well known as 'Tayir Saadam' in Tamil which is another staple dish. No wonder, meal is totally half done when curd rice is not in the list. This cookery bite is a single traveller unless the drinks join the caravan. It pretty striking that people prefer more fresh juices than aerated drinks which is why lemon, lime, orange, water melon and others are frequently ordered for juices. Adding to it, butter milk too is a common drink here and infact, one can see hawkers selling butter milk alongwith chilli fry on the road side.Well, when it is a land next to the port side, how can the blue waters be navigated away from the topic. Standing next to the sea shore, one can see a gallery of stalls meant for mushy snacks. The variety here is splendid. Its really hard to resist things such as peanut chat, malga(chilli) bhajji, potato bhajji and many more pakodas and fries. Cherry on the top, are the fish fries offered which are deep fried with a layer of red chilli paste on them which you simply cant let go until you are a vegetarian.Food alone is not the only thing why you get inclined towards South but its about the culture, history, architecture, scenic beauty that the land is blessed with. It builds a certain level of craving for it that not many places on Earth do. Signing off! 

Just heard that ETV is going to come back with a bang of EBM that stands for ETV Bangla Movies. These movies are a mark of great aptitude in acting, direction, script and offcourse cinematography. The trailors remind me of those days when they would appear each weekend night. Each plot is shown with so much of detail and intensity. In addition to it, one must say that the costume designing is at par with the story always. Each character so dipsplayed is dressed best not to kill but to be in sync with the character. The make up on the other hand plays a pivotal role where the little element of bongishness comes out naturally. Lastly, with the inception of Bangla bands, I guess it has become more easy to keep these telefilms distinguished from others. The songs in particular should be heard with focus as they tell you the real happenings around, no Akhtar, no Gulzar here, still killing and soothing at the same time. Must say, one can relate to their lives in all ways, no matter you are in rags or pampered in riches, you merge yourslelf in depth. Telefilms such as 'Shesh Shaambaad Birotir Por' and others project the heights at which a director's observation can go to. Kuashik Choudhery, Anjan Dutt and many more eminent filmamakers have made the channel a must watch on weekends. Indeed, with the power house talent that the Bengal is blessed with, hoping for more to come in the long run. All thumbs up to the upcoming telefilms, hope they keep up the expectations.