Sunday, January 28, 2007

Last Sunday even at 7:30 am, though fog shrouded the streets of Calcutta, ten hashers made it to Statesman House. There was such poor visibility that disoriented taxi drivers were driving into the Maidan. Madhuri who was to pick up Siddiqui couldn't see her in the fog and Siddiqui had to walk to the Statesman, as did Francois from the Oberoi Grand. It's lucky he didn't look out the window before stepping out or he may not have made it! I cabbed it with my new house guest Margherita, an intern at the Italian Consulate. She will be in town till end April. Matthias, a French tabla player who comes to Calcutta since the last ten years, would have joined us too, but was at home with a fever. Kristina brought her daughter and a very tall man. Ed and Twila were there, as were the street children and pavement dwellers who were queueing waiting for a Maruti van, to bring boxes of food. *



We piled into two cars and decided to head to Poddar Court for a Chinese breakfast as the Chinese New Year is round the corner. We tried fish ball soup, momos and thukpa and fried chicken drumsticks. Margherita was able to take lots of pictures of the market and the sellers of Chinese cabbages, fish and prawn, and prawn crackers. While making our way to the Sea Ip Church, we saw a man selling export reject scarves for Rs.2 each. Siddiqui, Madhuri, Frandois, Ed, Margherita, Petra made a killing , at do rupiya, and picked up loads of printed silk scarves and the viscose ones of animals like rabbits and monkeys!



While I tried to get more information about the Chinese New Year, the others were being entertained by a squabble in the street which everyone watched from the first floor of the Chinese Church. Margherita tried the divination sticks and the incense sticks. While kristina had to head back we then walked back towards the corner of Canning street to the Jewish Synagogue which thanks to a little bakshish was opened to us. If they are being difficult they ask you to get a written permission from Nahoum's in new Market. Doc called to say he couldnt make it. We remembered George and his prayer in Hebrew.



Madhuri and Siddiqui walked back to the car to head to Anand for coffee. The Millers and margherita and i walked down BBD Bag all the way to Anand past the white washed ABP building.
We didnt have a collection and the Millers who thouroughly enjoyed the walk, actually treated us to the chinese breakfast and outing which came to Rs. 2oo. Coffee came out of hash cash for 2oo7.


Over coffees we decided the next weeks' venues.

Feb 4 Botanical Gardens and Taj Breakfast

Feb 11 Victoria memorial and Taj Breakfast unless we come up with an interesting alternative

Feb 18th Evening hash and dinner at China Town on Chinese New Year



Other hashes to look forward to:

Bonani will try to organise Clive House near Dum dum and Rajesh Poddar must get us to visit the old house across Howrah Bridge with the clocks. We could also do joka and the Gurusaday textile Museum. Abhishek Basu is happy to have us back in north calcutta to visit his house (we only saw a part of it) and maybe other houses in North Calcutta. We can even organise a Weekend hash to Shantiniketan. We can also head to Foolia.



If we organise hashes like these we don't even have to charge hash cash and can just split the costs. Since Taj sponsors breafast anyway we can collect the 1oo from guests to cover tips. Ths way we don't have the headache of accounts and putting money into the bank



We have around Rs.30000 in the bank.

My suggestion is that we spend a third on Hash T shirts and haberdashery like the backpack that madhuri has been asking for a long time. We are now 25 regular hashers. Then we can wear them to the Calcutta Marathon which should be round the corner. Red t shirts with navy trim the opposte of the blue Tsh irt design.

We can use a third to have the Zoria bridge in the Wetlands to Connect with the City or any other eco friendly project

We can use some funds to take the children of the art school on an outing we promised.

Hashers will have to be deputed to take charge of a project.



*Madhuri and Siddiqui feel that some part of the hash funds could go into providing pencils, erasers, and notebooks to street children in the hash areas like in front of the Bhowanipur cemetery, Lindsay street and Wellesley. Previously we have given sports shoes at an annual day function of an NGO for school children in Dashghara.



if we go with the idea to continue to collect hash funds then the suggestion that has been mooted is that we pay a 6 month subscrption of Rs.1ooo which goes directly into the bank. New members pay rs.5oo to join. Visitng Members rs.100. Guests Rs. 200 Children/guests children rs.100


Please emal your ideas and views and come with your suggestions on Sunday to the Botanical gardens.

akar prakar invites you to preview works by ALEX STENGHEL Saturday, 3rd February, 6:30 pm onwards .sarode recital by Sougata Roy Chowdhury with Debajyoti Sanyal, (tabla) will be followed by cocktails. P 238 Hindustan Park, Kolkata 700 029 . +91 33 2464 2617 show continues from 5th to 13th February 2007 3 to 8 pm, (sunday closed)

neela 930014934

Saturday, January 27, 2007

Dear Hashers
We are going to visit North calcutta this weekend. Meet in front of Statesman House at 7:30am on Sunday mornng and we’ll head to the bazaars in the Satyanarayan Park area where we’ll also sample a Bengali breakfast of motorshutir kochuri. Peter and Rosie Howard and Shanti Francois and Palesa should be joining. Nitish and Rachna are holidaying in kaziranga. Hope the Kakkars rajesh Poddar and doc Shantanu are joining to show us the way there. Alice sends her best and some souvenirs so looking forward to seeing you all on Sunday.
4th feb botanical Gardens and Taj
11th Feb boat cruise or out of town hash

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Sunday 21 Jan at 7:30 am Regular Hashers and returnee hashers Peter and Rosie, Howard and Shanti, met in front of the Horticultural Gardens, Belvedere Road entrance, for a walk, followed by a Taj Breakfast, followed by a visit to the Marble Palace which is open to the public at 10 am.
This was a treat for those who hadn't seen the palace yet.
Hope the others enjoyed the Jazz Festival at DI this weekend, starting with the French Jazz Band with Erik Trufazz. I met up with hasher Alice in Singapore and she remebers you all and hopes to come to Cal soon.

Sunday, January 14, 2007

We had a record turnout at the Botanical Gardens. Peter and Rosie are
back in town for a few weeks. So are Howard and Shanti.
Since I'm hard pressed for time I'll leave you with this description
of Cal streets and lingo... Start practicing your Bengali slang!
There were no charpokas, peepreys or haatis on the streets Wednesday before
last. Except for a few mamas and mastaans, almost everybody stayed home
because it was a hartal. Bouncy break-dancers and slow-moving langras also
had a rest day. Near Howrah and other vantage entry points, CITU sergeants
saw to it that local trains could get no further. Decibel levels fell
drastically, due to the absence of the rattle of Calcutta's bone-shakers
and the barking of minibus conductors. There were no cries of "Aastey
ladies", "Hilakey Chalo" and "Electrikey Chalao". If you've lost me and
you're reaching for a Calictionary, stay right where you are, you'll find
it on this page. Calcuttans on the street, more than any other city, have a
term or a phrase of their own for everything under its scorching sun. No
city can match it for orginality and spontaneity when you talk of a
roadside lexicon. No other citizen in the world has the intensity, the
passion and the sense of humour that the Calcuttan
has. With his turn of phrase he is an Oscar Wilde, Bernard Shaw and Sukumar
Ray rolled into one ? Expressive, Explosive and always Exclusive. For the
uninitiated Calcuttan, here's a handy thesaurus of innovative street
jargon; for the hardcore Calcuttan, it could serve as a ready reckoner.

Mama: policeman. Now you know why you need to stay away from your
"Mamar-bari"!
Peeprays: auto-rickshaws who are multiplying in hundreds and bugging one
and all
Charpokas: Maruti 800s
Matchbox: Calcutta's first generation mini-buses that left you
hunchbacked and stiff-necked.
Haatis: double-decker buses with a 'trunk' in which the driver sits; an
almost extinct species.
Langras: three-legged tempos that limp along and handicap other drivers.
Shahid Minars: speedbreakers. Erecting them has become a trend,
generally after someone has been killed on the spot.
Electrikey Chalao: a bus conductor's coded jargon, telling his driver to
speed-break-speed-break?in order to jerk passengers further in, since
they are all crowding near the entrance.
Hechkee tulchen kano: a passenger's retort to the above. Dada, Fevicol
naa ordinary?: question asked by a 'standing commuter'(usually on a
local train) to a 'sitting' one, wanting to know how far he is going. If
the answer is 'ordinary', the standing commuter will stay right there
waiting to pounce on his seat; if the answer is "fevicol", he will move
away to try his luck with another passenger.
Dada, kee kelchen? Test naa One day: The bus equivalent of above.
Dada, istri korey dilen?: what you tell a passenger who in his hurry to
get off, stamps hard on your toes.
Dada, je akebarey daak-ticket hoye shetey galen: sarcastic comment
targeting Romeos who refuse to budge from the vicinity of the ladies
seats, invariably getting 'stuck', just like a stamp on an envelope
Sandow maashi: a tongue-in-cheek conductor's term describing a
not-so-young lady wearing a sleeveless blouse, a la Govinda.
Half-ladies : a skinny, boyish girl in jeans and T-shirt; the conductor
is in a dilemma!
Dadar kee double ticket naa kee: a passenger's caustic remark to a
grossly overweight fellow passenger who is hogging the seat.
Dada, kon ration-er chaal khaan: this is another version of the rude
comment above.
Aierey, forsha korey dilo: a helpless pickpocket victim's exasperated
exclamation.
Dada, engine-er tuning-ta thik karaan: below-the-belt advice to a fellow
passenger who is snoring loud enough to drive the pigs to market.
Kaar badi-tey aaj moolor char-chari ranna hoyechey, dada: a subtle
comment directed to whom it may concern, in a crowded bus, post a
'sudden whiff in the air

Sunday, January 07, 2007

Happy New Year 2007.


The first hash of 2007 was the Vintage Car Rally on 7th January where Kristina and Siddiqui 9433867101 were Marshalls. Lilly got back in time from london to make it while i'd just got into town.

For those who have been trying to get in touch with me over the mobile to no avail, I trust you received my Happy New Year and Eid Mubarak Greetings from Dhaka. was on a relaxed holiday Neela style – eating, drinking and spending time with friends.

Please find as attachment an invite to a Japanese Pottery show at Ritika's brother's Gallery Rasa. India is the 20th country to host the show, it will then travel to Latin America, New Zealand and Australia. There are 71 exhibits covering seven most important ceramic producing areas of Japan involving 35 artists. Do send across the invite to all your friends.

Flute concert by Surjit Singh student of the late great Padmabushan Pundt V.G. Jog. Currently under the tutelage of Prof. Debaprasad Banerjee one of the finest flute makers in the world. Tabla accompaniment by Vidyut Chatterjee.
Thursday 11 Jan 8:30 pm Princeton Club 26 Prince Anwar Shah Road

As you probably know, i n January 2007, The Alliances Françaises network in India and the French Embassy in India welcome legendary French cross-genre trumpeter Eric Truffaz . Coming with his jazz quartet composed of Malcom Braff (piano), Christophe Chambet (Bass) and Marc Erbetta (drums), he will be touring throughout India for one month.

In Kolkata, he will perform on Friday 19 January @ 7 pm at Dalhousie Institute, for the Cogo Square Jazz festival.

Erik Truffaz is today one of the leading trumpeters on the cutting edge of jazz , and his coming in India and moreover in Kolkata is a great chance for all the music lovers. In order to discover or know better the music of this great artist, the next programme of the jazz listeners' Forum ( Friday 12 January at 7 pm ) at Calcutta School of Music will focus on Erik Truffaz. Please, feel free to attend to this very special Jazz listeners' forum which will give you a first impression and outline of the big show scheduled on 19 January 2007.


HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

Celebration of 250 years of Mozarton Monday 15th January2007 @ 7.00pm At Max Mueller Bhavan, Kolkata. Very famous Odissi Dancer Dipanwita Roy and her dancer friends will perform to the music composed by the great maestro. Ronie Sambhik Ghosh (modern ballet) Mitul Sengupta Ghosh (Kathak contemporary), Chironjoy Poddar (Kuchipudi), Sapphire Creations Dance Workshop (experimental) & Dipanwita Roy (Odissi) Will present items in their individualistic dance forms. ALL ARE WELCOME.

Look forward to seeing you all now that am back in town. Hope you were able to enjoy the Vintage Car Rally. We'll do the Botanics on 14th Jan at 7:30 followed by Breakfast at the Taj Bengal.

regards,
Neela
9830014934
From: Rakesh Sahni < rs@galleryrasa.com>
Date: Jan 8, 2007 12:10 PM
Subject: Japanese Pottery Exhibition