Monday 21 March 2022

A To Z Twitter Rasagola #TwitterRasagola

For this year's April A2Z theme, I had been planning some topics. 

My last year's theme was #RasagolaA2Z where I had shared posts about Rasagola. 

Rasagola is a delectable dessert that originated in Odisha, India. The main ingredients are cottage-cheese and sugar-syrup. 

Also called and pronounced in several different ways viz. Rasgulla, Rasagula, Rasogolla, Rosogolla etc., Rasagola is called the 'King of Sweets'.


We have been celebrating a day for Rasagola or Rasagola Day as- "Rasagola Dibasa #RasagolaDibasa" on social media from 2015 Nabakalebara Ratha Yatra onwards. 

It helped in creating awareness about the connection of Rasagola with Odisha and also about the centuries-old ritual- Niladri Bije of Odisha. Our celebration and promotion also generated interest for the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.

Odisha earned the GI tag for "Odisha Rasagola" on July 29, 2019.
The following image from Google Trends shows the spike in the search for Rasagola on the same dates

Sunday 20 March 2022

Pakhala Dibasa - A Poem #PakhalaDibasa

Today is #PakhalaDibasa and also the #InternationalDayOfHappiness! 🍚

Here are some lines - few words dedicated to Pakhala, Pakhala Day & happiness :)

For many, Pakhala is not just an "Odia Food"-
It's an emotion that's too special & good!
Even Mahaprabhu Shree Jagannatha loves this-
Served 365 days of the year- many varieties!
Odias eat Pakhala in all seasons; mostly to beat the heat-
In summer season especially, Pakhala is a refreshing treat.
March 20 is "Spring Equinox"- equal day & night length-
When days get longer & heat is on, Pakhala is strength!


Wednesday 16 March 2022

The Jewel Thief

After an arduous trail, the visitors reached their destination.

The quaint cottage on the hill looked welcoming.

Photo - Lisa Fox

A beautiful lady answered the door.

Her face matched their intelligence-reports.

They were sure they would finally get what they were looking for.

"Where are the diamonds?" they asked. 

Monday 14 March 2022

Break The Bias #BreakTheBias

On March 8th, we observe “International Women's Day” worldwide. 

Apart from Mother's Day that is celebrated in May, this is one day to celebrate women.

Multi-Tasker and Balancer

A woman balances various roles at home and at work. Just like the Dashabhuja (ten-armed) Goddess Durga, she is a multi-tasker. Every woman is expected to be a super-woman. 

Even if she is a working-woman, she is supposed to handle everything- right from cooking, laundry, childcare, grocery shopping… 

If she is a stay-at-home mother or “housewife”, she is looked down upon. House-work is never a paid activity and it is not taken into consideration to calculate GDP.


Liability and Second-class citizens

When a girl is born, she is considered a “liability” and entire family starts saving for her wedding. The aim is to get her married as soon as she attains marriageable-age.

A woman is not just a property- an item to be bought or owned or used or exchanged or given away. Is she “Lakshmi” (the goddess of wealth)? Her in-laws demand and get a hefty dowry from her parents during marriage.

Who cares about her dreams or independence?

In many families, women are treated as second-class citizens.

Agriculture and handicrafts employ the maximum number of citizens in our nation. Though there are so many women farmers and artisans/weavers, their identities and voices remain suppressed. The male-member, who earns money, is considered superior.

Representation of women in politics, government, and in corporate organisations is also less.

Leader, but expected to be Follower

Whatever she does, she is judged and her work is scrutinized.

She is conditioned to think- “Log kya kahengey/sochenge?” – What will people say/think?

Society expects her to be caring and soft-spoken and keep her opinions to herself.

If she comes across as honest, opinionated, and independent, she is disliked.

If she is successful in her profession, she is accused to have adopted “smart” means viz. keeping male bosses “happy”.

If she takes tough decisions for the family, company, state or nation, and exhibits her leadership qualities, thereby making others “follow” her idea/advocacy, men have a problem acknowledging that she is a leader. Why is it assumed that only men can be leaders? 

Charlotte Whitton had rightly said-

'Whatever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily, this is not difficult.'

A woman’s hard-work is shamelessly usurped by men, who get to ultimately hog the limelight being projected as the heroes of every story! And such injustice is supported by other men and women, who despite knowing the real “hero”, chose to stay silent about the contribution of the deserving woman-leader or achiever.

Sunday 6 March 2022

Waterfall Looks Like A Woman

Our world never fails to amaze! 

Always ready to explore whenever I see an amazing place! 

Can you see the image of a woman wearing a white dress? 

She looks like a bride👰, doesn’t she? 

Waterfall Looks Like A Woman

Had you ever seen this natural wonder before? 

No, this is not in Odisha, India! 


Took a screenshot of this image after finding it in a video received via WhatsApp.  

Searched about “waterfall that looks like a woman”.

Got to learn the following: 

Wednesday 2 March 2022

The Leaning Tower

"I wish to visit the Leaning Tower," Lini said dreamily.

Her mother nodded understandingly.

Lini had won a trip to visit Italy.

But, her happiness didn’t last as she met with the accident. 

The recovery process meant that she would miss the trip.

Photo Prompt- Anne Higa
"I wanted to paint right there..."

Tuesday 1 March 2022

Dahibara Aloodum

I love the delicious dish "Dahibara Aloodum". It is tangy, sour, sweet, spicy and lots more with a host of flavours! Twin cities- Cuttack and Bhubaneswar of Odisha- are well-known for this dish.

Like a true fan, I am always ready for a plate of Dahibara Aloodum.

From 2019 onwards, March 1st is being celebrated as "Dahibara Aloodum Dibasa". #DahibaraAloodumDibasa is a day to celebrate the dish- "Dahibara Aloodum".

Today being celebrated as Mahashivaratri, and many like me being on a fast, not getting a real plate today. However, e-Dahibara Aloodum is allowed!

Pic1: Plate full of Dahibara Aloodum

Sharing some images of homemade Dahibara Aloodum, prepared by my sister-in-law, Sradha last month. Yes, "pictures speak more than a thousand words."

Pic1 above shows the final dish. Had been planning to share and today is a great day to finally do so.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...