Dedicated for my friend Puru who passed away much before his time. He would have blogged this if he was here today. RIP Puru, we all miss you.
15th December, 2002
Crabs For Thought
I have written two pieces over the last three weeks, and I pine for readers' comments. Maybe it is the Christmas season, and Santa has stolen the month's agenda.
More likely, and as I said in my last column, it could be George Bush who done the stealing, leaving everyone else numb. It is time I lightened your gloom, and brought you some Christmas cheer with a recipe that would set great chefs and taste-bud-licking-gourmets dancing with joy.
I have this friend Gautam Nath who is crazy about sea-food. Mention crab to him and he breaks into a jig and a whoop. He is Bengali, and so is my wife. When together, they break into an animated discussion about shoshur-maach, cerab, ilish-maach, and what not. All gibberish to a tandoori-chicken loving Punjabi - me!
This friend, a veritable globe trotting market researcher, set up a Crab Lovers' Club in Delhi last year, and trotted up a membership of an 'Eager Fourteen Acolytes' within a week. So far, so good! Then came the problems. He was the chef catering to his acolytes' gastronomic yearnings, and with the club's meetings always held at his place, and at his cost too, it finally led to the demise of the noble institution. Now it's run as a clandestine underground club with secret passwords and special invitees only.
Here is one of his famed recipes for Chilli Crabs that I stole. The italics are entirely my additions to make the cooking easier for you.
First, the ingredients!
One kilogram of fresh cleaned crab in the shell. Separate claws, and rent body asunder into two parts before crab bites you.
500 grams finely chopped onions. Also a pair of hankies to wipe away tears during chopping process.
500 grams tomatoes whole.
4 table spoons red chilli powder. (Sachets of Eno are an optional accessory, and dosage depends upon the fire in your belly after eating Chilli Crab.)
A table-spoonful of turmeric.
Lemon juice. (If you are going to let the chillies burn your guts, you might as well add a few acid drops to accelerate the job)
A handful of chopped coriander leaves. (Large hands half full, normal hands full-full, baby's hands too dirty - so throw coriander leaves away and rush to shopping mall for more)
Four medium size cloves of garlic, finely chopped.
One small piece (size of your thumb) ginger, finely chopped. (Ensure that you chop the ginger, and not the thumb)
Salt to taste; yours, not your mother in law!
Two cups of washed Basmati rice
One cup of cooking oil.
Two cups of milk.
One wife willing to clean the mess.
One fire extinguisher.
Having collected all this stuff through the morning, the cooking comes next.
1. Invite three friends over for the bash.
2. In the absence of wife, or refusal by her to participate in the sport, pour a round of drinks for your friends.
3. Take a deep pot. (You have to have something to cook in)
4. Put in the oil and let it come to heat, keeping all randy dogs away from the oil.
5. Having shooed away dogs, cats, etc., add bay leaves, ginger, and continuously stir for a minute till light brown.
6. Pour another round of drinks for eager friends to prevent their departure.
7. Stir in the onions, and let them brown until they give out their water.
8. Blanch the tomatoes in a separate pan of boiling water for a few minutes. Remove and throw away peels, and roughly mash up the rest and add to frying onions.
9. Put in turmeric powder and a cup of water and let it cook, stirring it occasionally till it becomes a thick paste.
10. Add the crabs and gently stir as you see the color turning red.
11. Tie down impatient friends with nylon rope before they slink out of the house.
12. Add the red chilli powder (more if you like to sweat - highly recommended in case you want to save the cost of going to the gym, less if you want to live long.)
13. Add the lemon juice and stir the lot for a few minutes.
14. Add water till the crabs are two thirds covered - Stir and leave it on slow fire to cook for 10 minutes. Cover.
15. After 10 minutes, remove the cover and put the heat on high, stirring occasionally till the water level reduces to about one fourth the level of the crabs. Add salt to taste and stir gently, shut the fire.
16. Boil the rice separately (in half water, half milk) and keep ready. Two cups rice, two cups water and two cups milk with a touch of butter and salt would do fine.
17. Take pity on friends, untie them, and pour another round of drinks.
18. Pick up and place the crabs in a see through dish. (Keep bikini clad females and male life guards out of see through dish) Then pour its gravy on top and garnish with the coriander leaves.
19. Discover that you haven't used the garlic, so throw it into the dustbin before someone discovers the mistake, and makes you feel stupid.
The Serving
1. Since the preparation is for four, and with the three hours you took to get the chilli crab together, your friends may have sneaked out of your house for the nearest restaurant. Be prepared for nasty notes, and terminated friendships. Having a few friends handy in the cupboard could be useful under the circumstances.
2. If your wife fell for the gimmick and joined you for the crabs, take phone off hook and prepare for uninterrupted thrashing of a lifetime. Do not argue while thrashing is in progress, lest it leads to divorce.
3. If wife walks out after thrashing you, try inviting Saddam Hussein and George Bush for a peace conference. Ensure you have a pair of toilets with gold fittings for visiting dignitaries to use after downing the chilli crabs.
4. In case Saddam and George don't turn up, sit down, roll up your sleeves, eat crab, and howl like lonely werewolf in the Arctic night.
Purshottam Bhardwaj
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Human Library - Toronto Public Library
Speakers' library
Library users could check out a "human book" for a 30-minute conversation with the goal of exposing readers to people they might not otherwise meet.
Staff writer
It’s the next big thing for book lovers; no, it’s not a new e-reader, it’s an innovative, livelier way to read “books” — no printed pages or electronic gadget required. Recently, the Toronto Public Library went “old school” with its inaugural one-day Human Library program that harkens back to traditions of storytelling.
The program offered face-to-face conversations with a mix of interesting people. Library users could check out a “human book” for a 30-minute conversation with the goal of exposing readers to people they might not otherwise meet.
“This is really reflective of our experience, of our diversity and that people bring all kinds of differences to the city,” says city librarian Jane Pyper. “We all have a tendency to know what we know and be with whom we are familiar with, and this is a way of crossing that ... and being with someone who is different.”
Across several library branches, 60 “human books” from all walks of life came to speak on a wide range of life experiences, from living with a disability to immigrating to Canada.
Cairo-born Gautam Nath was a “human book” who talked to people about his experience with identity and immigration. Nath, the son of an Indian-born diplomat and a Czech-born mother, immigrated to Canada in 2008. “Re-imaging my identity was challenging while I also struggled in a recession-struck job market,” says Nath, who is now Partner at Monsoon Communications, a multicultural advertising agency based in Toronto.
Nath, who also runs several self-help online groups for newcomers, spoke to his “readers” about mixed identities and the challenges of finding your place in the world.
“I was fascinated by the profile of the other ‘human books’ as well as the range of readers who checked us ‘books’ out,” says Nath. “As an immigrant to Canada, it was a lovely opportunity to share my story and have others hear of our journey to Canada, our past life and our aspirations for the future.
“As newcomers to Canada, it also allowed immigrants an opportunity to meet and ‘read’ stories of Canadians from all walks of life.”
The pilot event was a success and the Toronto Public Library is now considering building on the collection in 2011.
Library users could check out a "human book" for a 30-minute conversation with the goal of exposing readers to people they might not otherwise meet.
Staff writer
It’s the next big thing for book lovers; no, it’s not a new e-reader, it’s an innovative, livelier way to read “books” — no printed pages or electronic gadget required. Recently, the Toronto Public Library went “old school” with its inaugural one-day Human Library program that harkens back to traditions of storytelling.
The program offered face-to-face conversations with a mix of interesting people. Library users could check out a “human book” for a 30-minute conversation with the goal of exposing readers to people they might not otherwise meet.
“This is really reflective of our experience, of our diversity and that people bring all kinds of differences to the city,” says city librarian Jane Pyper. “We all have a tendency to know what we know and be with whom we are familiar with, and this is a way of crossing that ... and being with someone who is different.”
Across several library branches, 60 “human books” from all walks of life came to speak on a wide range of life experiences, from living with a disability to immigrating to Canada.
Cairo-born Gautam Nath was a “human book” who talked to people about his experience with identity and immigration. Nath, the son of an Indian-born diplomat and a Czech-born mother, immigrated to Canada in 2008. “Re-imaging my identity was challenging while I also struggled in a recession-struck job market,” says Nath, who is now Partner at Monsoon Communications, a multicultural advertising agency based in Toronto.
Nath, who also runs several self-help online groups for newcomers, spoke to his “readers” about mixed identities and the challenges of finding your place in the world.
“I was fascinated by the profile of the other ‘human books’ as well as the range of readers who checked us ‘books’ out,” says Nath. “As an immigrant to Canada, it was a lovely opportunity to share my story and have others hear of our journey to Canada, our past life and our aspirations for the future.
“As newcomers to Canada, it also allowed immigrants an opportunity to meet and ‘read’ stories of Canadians from all walks of life.”
The pilot event was a success and the Toronto Public Library is now considering building on the collection in 2011.
Article in the Financial Post
Mary Teresa Bitti, Financial Post · Mar. 18, 2011 | Last Updated: Mar. 24, 2011 11:53 AM ET
Gautam Nath is very active in Toronto’s immigrant community. In addition to being director of Cultural Markets Research at Environics Research Group, he is a director on the board at Multilingual Community Interpreter Services (MCIS), has been invited to join the advisory board of York University’s Internationally Educated Professional (IEP) Bridging Program and mentors newcomers through the TRIEC's mentoring partnership.
He brings something to his role as mentor that many of his counterparts do not: Mr. Nath is a newcomer himself. He moved to Canada with his wife in November 2008 and, like many of the people he guides, had to restart his life and career.
“I built a career over 25 years in India with corporate multinationals in a variety of roles including marketing, corporate communications, change management,” says Mr. Nath. “But I had no network when I landed in Canada. When I talk to people, they relate to me because the experience is so fresh and it is one they are living. As a tourist, you know you have a safety net back home. As an immigrant you have moved life. There is no network, no brand image. You walk down the street and you are as strange to yourself as you are to every one else.”
For that reason, Mr. Nath says it’s important for new immigrants to move fast and start meeting people and building connections. This is particularly true for foreign educated professionals, less than a quarter of whom find employment in their field.
“They land here and realize although they have education and experience, they are essentially starting from scratch with respect to getting placed in a career commensurate with their education and training. And that can chip away at confidence. On the flip side, all that knowledge and expertise is going to waste,” says Nora Priestly, project manager, Internationally Educated Professional Bridging Program, York University. “Then there is the challenge of settling their families into a new city, new home — all the aspects of starting a life in a new country.”
While many of the attributes and benefits of mentorship apply to everyone, mentoring is a critical leg up to new Canadians, says Ms. Priestly. The bridging program was designed to offer new immigrants two types of mentorship. “Professional mentorship gives them the opportunity to be connected to, or sitting in, the industry where they want to be,” says Ms. Priestly.
“They get an inside take about common practice in Canada, very pragmatic suggestions about how to get to where they want to be, as well as a quiet reassurance about knowing the cultural terrain. It builds confidence and shows individuals they are not the first to tread this trail and that it is possible for them to succeed here.”
The Bridging program also offers peer-to-peer mentoring, where new participants are paired with other IEPs further along in the program. “They are helping them to feel like they belong. And they can work together so that the relationship is equally valuable. The faster you get settled in and feel connected, the more chances you will be successful,” says Ms. Priestly.
Perhaps one of the biggest hurdles facing new immigrants is lack of Canadian experience. “Employers want Canadian experience. And when you have someone coming in whose first language is not English, whose name is difficult to pronounce, and who has worked in organizations Canadian employers may never have heard of, that’s tough,” says Mr. Nath.
“One of the key messages I give to the people I’m mentoring is that you have to make your own opportunities. Netgiving or volunteering in a way that you can use your wisdom and experience is a way to get the Canadian experience employers want to see and to build a network.”
Mr. Nath’s own volunteer efforts as a marketing adviser led him to a meeting at Environics and his current role. His efforts on behalf of other new immigrants have led him to be shortlisted for the Top 25 Canadian Immigrants award for 2011. “Imagine, just two years in the country to be recognized in this way. Thanks to God’s support, my network of friends and a bit of hard work.”
Gautam Nath is very active in Toronto’s immigrant community. In addition to being director of Cultural Markets Research at Environics Research Group, he is a director on the board at Multilingual Community Interpreter Services (MCIS), has been invited to join the advisory board of York University’s Internationally Educated Professional (IEP) Bridging Program and mentors newcomers through the TRIEC's mentoring partnership.
He brings something to his role as mentor that many of his counterparts do not: Mr. Nath is a newcomer himself. He moved to Canada with his wife in November 2008 and, like many of the people he guides, had to restart his life and career.
“I built a career over 25 years in India with corporate multinationals in a variety of roles including marketing, corporate communications, change management,” says Mr. Nath. “But I had no network when I landed in Canada. When I talk to people, they relate to me because the experience is so fresh and it is one they are living. As a tourist, you know you have a safety net back home. As an immigrant you have moved life. There is no network, no brand image. You walk down the street and you are as strange to yourself as you are to every one else.”
For that reason, Mr. Nath says it’s important for new immigrants to move fast and start meeting people and building connections. This is particularly true for foreign educated professionals, less than a quarter of whom find employment in their field.
“They land here and realize although they have education and experience, they are essentially starting from scratch with respect to getting placed in a career commensurate with their education and training. And that can chip away at confidence. On the flip side, all that knowledge and expertise is going to waste,” says Nora Priestly, project manager, Internationally Educated Professional Bridging Program, York University. “Then there is the challenge of settling their families into a new city, new home — all the aspects of starting a life in a new country.”
While many of the attributes and benefits of mentorship apply to everyone, mentoring is a critical leg up to new Canadians, says Ms. Priestly. The bridging program was designed to offer new immigrants two types of mentorship. “Professional mentorship gives them the opportunity to be connected to, or sitting in, the industry where they want to be,” says Ms. Priestly.
“They get an inside take about common practice in Canada, very pragmatic suggestions about how to get to where they want to be, as well as a quiet reassurance about knowing the cultural terrain. It builds confidence and shows individuals they are not the first to tread this trail and that it is possible for them to succeed here.”
The Bridging program also offers peer-to-peer mentoring, where new participants are paired with other IEPs further along in the program. “They are helping them to feel like they belong. And they can work together so that the relationship is equally valuable. The faster you get settled in and feel connected, the more chances you will be successful,” says Ms. Priestly.
Perhaps one of the biggest hurdles facing new immigrants is lack of Canadian experience. “Employers want Canadian experience. And when you have someone coming in whose first language is not English, whose name is difficult to pronounce, and who has worked in organizations Canadian employers may never have heard of, that’s tough,” says Mr. Nath.
“One of the key messages I give to the people I’m mentoring is that you have to make your own opportunities. Netgiving or volunteering in a way that you can use your wisdom and experience is a way to get the Canadian experience employers want to see and to build a network.”
Mr. Nath’s own volunteer efforts as a marketing adviser led him to a meeting at Environics and his current role. His efforts on behalf of other new immigrants have led him to be shortlisted for the Top 25 Canadian Immigrants award for 2011. “Imagine, just two years in the country to be recognized in this way. Thanks to God’s support, my network of friends and a bit of hard work.”
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