Bengalis have been doing “healthy eating” long before it became an Instagram trend.

Our detox starts with নিম-বেগুন and উচ্ছে ভাজা, শুক্তু and not green juice or green tea.
Our multivitamin is লাল শাক, পুঁই শাক, কুমড়ো শাক, পালং শাক, হেলঞ্চা শাক, মেথি শাক and can name a few more but not kale .
Our protein comes from ডাল আর ডালের বড়ি, not powder shakes.
Our omega-3 and vitamin d are from মাছের ঝোল, not capsules.

And talk of Sundays – the sacred day of খাসির মাংস! It’s not a meal; it’s a festival — a ritual of togetherness, love and laughter, and that inevitable দু-পিস আলু that reigns supreme in every gravy. Because আলু isn’t just an ingredient; it’s an emotion for a বাঙালি soul . A Bengali curry without আলু is an unforgivable sin.

Our চাটনি is not only sweet it has ingredients like nuts and dry fruits and is nothing less than any digestive aids.

Our মিষ্টি দই, is a probiotic desert, of course served with love.

So yes, our food has it all — তেতো দিয়ে পরিষ্কার, শাক দিয়ে পুষ্টি, ডাল দিয়ে শক্তি, মাছ দিয়ে গ্লো, মাংস দিয়ে এনার্জি, চাটনি দিয়ে হজম, আর দই দিয়ে আরোগ্য।

In truth, বাঙালির রান্না মানেই balanced diet with added emotion — a little তেতো for wisdom, a little মিষ্টি for hope, and a lot of সর্ষের তেল for attitude! 😀😀

The sad part is that we have traded it all for avocado toasts and coffee shop culture. The once-thoughtful, home-cooked বাঙালি খাবার is now lost in the maze of oily বিরিয়ানি and wrap menus. The mighty শুক্ত has been replaced by nuggets, and মাছের তেল has surrendered to burger grease.

(collected)

My friend Indrajit has described our Ranchi Reunion immaculately. I am delighted to simply reblog and save myself from repeating with fault. Please read on…

THE BIGGEST GATHERING OF HUMANITY ON THE PLANET EARTH IS THE LARGEST RELIGIOUS GATHERING OF HINDUS, THE FIRST COMMUNITY ON MOTHER EARTH.

It’s pure joy and ecstasy.

NO ANIMAL SCARIFICES, NO BLOODSHED, NO UNIFORM, NO VIOLENCE, NO POLITICS, NO CONVERSIONS, NO SECTS, NO SEGREGATION, NO TRADE, NO BUSINESS.

IT’S HINDUISM, ALL ENCOMPASSING.

Nowhere else HUMANS ever congregate(d) for a single event in such a number; be that religious, sports, war, funeral or festivity. It’s always been the KUMBH mela and this year it’s Maha Kumbh, which is celebrated every 144 years.

The world of statistics look with awe at the statistics; 400 million people over 44 days, over 15 million taking the holy dip on the first day, a temporary city across 4,000 hectares, 150,000 tents, 3,000 kitchens, 145,000 restrooms, with 40,000 security personnel, 2,700 AI-enabled cameras, etc. These are mind boggling statistics but is not what makes me wonder.

MY AWE IS NOT ABOUT MATERIALISM, STATISTICS OR PHYSICAL ASPECTS OF THIS EVENT.

It’s not about what our eyes can see. It’s not about size or numbers. What amazes me is (what we call ancient) the knowledge of the humanity’s connection with the universe.

It amazes me that it’s rituals are performed with reference to the alignment, positioning and timing of the celestial bodies in the universe (heavens) signifying human relationship with the Cosmos and its physical and spiritual effect on human destiny and future.

It has no power structure or political polity driving it. It’s indigenous to the faith. It’s not about an organised religion. It’s not about a hierarchy.

This Hindu Dharma’s understanding of the humanity’s relationship with the universe, from vegetation (under our feet) to the stars (in the milky way) is an evidence of the advanced knowledge in Hinduism which has extraterrestrial roots & connections.

The meditating Sadhus’ consciousness is able to reach frontiers beyond space & time. It breaks the illusion of duality of me & the universe.

BEYOND MATERIAL SCIENCE

I think today’s space travel through rockets is a primitive technology. Our physical bodies are not us. We don’t need to physically travel anywhere as once we understand that we are souls having a physical experience, from localised particles, we become infinite, part of the whole, present everywhere, as entangled particles exhibit; distance and time barriers lose existence. When we become pure consciousness; part of the divine light; timeless and formless.

It’s the awe when Sadhus of Himalayas and Quantum mechanics take a holy dip together in the vast ocean of knowledge. It’s not enough to say that Hinduism is aligned with nature. There is no duality; it’s nature itself. Being a Hindu is coming back to your natural state.

Nature is Hindu! Every living being is Hindu.🚩

(Collected)