May 18, 2013 – The Metrognome

As General Elections 2014 approach, the heat seems to be well and truly on the Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi.

by Humra Quraishi

I simply marvel at Jesuit Father Cedric Prakash. I admire his courage and his confidence to take on the political might of his home State, Gujarat. This priest runs a human rights centre, ‘Prashant’ in Ahmedabad, and right from 2002, I’ve heard him speak at various meets. Recently, he lashed out at Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi once again.

“It is more than just a rotten tooth!” he thundered. As the poll results of the Karnataka Assembly elections trickled in on Wednesday, May 8, the one person who was in the eye of the storm was Narendra Modi. Over the years, the BJP in Karnataka had done everything possible to make certain their defeat: the terrorising of the minorities, the bashing up of youth who didn’t conform to their cultural ‘traditions’; the bringing in of a legislation that was directed at harming minority communities, the support to right-wing Hindu fundamentalism and much more; this was besides the corruption and scams of immense proportion.

However, the BJP party workers were confident that Narendra Modi would campaign in Karnataka, wave his magic wand and cast a spell over the State to ensure that the BJP would come back to power! Modi himself is a seemingly ‘safe’, somewhat frightened campaigner in places such as Karnataka; from his track record, it is obvious that Modi goes to places where he can either win or is confident of fooling the people. In Karnataka, he did become the BJP star campaigner, making forays to three areas -Bangalore, Mangalore andBelgaum. When he did so, he was able to attract crowds and throw barbs at the Congress party and the UPA.

In the rally he addressed in Mangalore, he struck the Hindutva chord and tried to rake up the “cattle slaughter” issue clearly targeting not merely the UPA but also the Muslim minorities. However, all his rhetoric did not pay dividends. The BJP has lost miserably in the places where he campaigned and where he was considered to be the main vote-getter!

Father Prakash (in pic on left) said, “After the election results were out, Modi developed a ‘sudden toothache’ and neither his many spokespersons nor his highly-paid public relations agencies were at hand to give his point of view on the defeat. One does not have to be very intelligent to know that Modi, like a little school boy, easily ‘falls sick’ when the going gets tough. Even if he did have a toothache, why did his spokespersons not speak up on behalf of him? And how did this “very painful toothache” suddenly disappear when he addressed the Gujarati diaspora in the US through a video conference on Sunday, May 12?

“Yes one can surely, fool some of the people some of the time, but NEVER all of the people all of the time!”

I have just recently returned from an interactive meet with Zakia Jafri and her son Tanveer, apart from several political activists, who have been detailing the horrifying carnage of 2002 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. This meet was held on May 7, after Zakia Jafri filed a Protest Petition before the Magistrate on April 15 “ to get a fair and transparent investigation against a Chief Minister, his Cabinet colleagues, senior administrators, policemen and front men and women of the RSS, VHP and Bajrang Dal.”

Several politicians also spoke at this meet, and two of them came up with some startling facts. DP Tripathi of the NCP said that way back in the mid-80s, the then Chief Minister of Gujarat, Madhav Singh Solanki, had told Tripathi that there are “international forces” which are working in the State to whip up communal frenzy and strengthen Hindutva brigades. But when probed further on Modi, Tripathi beat a hasty retreat and said he had to go to another function.

Then Sitaram Yechury of the CPI (M) said that when he got the news of the carnage in Gujarat he decided to go to Ahmedabad, and he went there with Raj Babbar, Amar Singh and Shabana Azmi. They were in Ahmedabad on March 1, 2002. He described the atmosphere prevalent in the city. “The Police Commissioner of Ahmedabad was not to be seen the entire day and night, not even in the Police Headquarters. And the same day, that is on March 1, 2002, when I got in touch with the Chief Minister, Narendra Modi and asked him about the mass killings of the Muslims and the uncontrolled rioting, he said, ‘In logon ko sabak sikhana tha, aisa sabak jo woh zindagi bhar yaad rakhenge! (I wanted to teach these people a lesson, a lesson they’d remember all their lives!)

Humra Quraishi is a senior political journalist based in Gurgaon. She is the author of Kashmir: The Untold Story and co-author of Simply Khushwant.

(Pictures courtesy www.religiousindia.org, www.outlookindia.com, ibnlive.in.com)

Kuchh meetha ho jaaye

Indian desserts are easier to make than Western ones. Our food columnist presents five quick, easy to make dessert recipes.

by Anurita Gupta

‘Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first’ said Ernestine Ulmer. Now, I don’t quite know who Mr. Ulmer is, but what he has said surely makes him a sensible man in my eyes.

After many a dinner date or lunch break, dil kehta hai ‘kuchh meetha ho jaaye’! Although this is a popular tagline for a chocolate brand, the true meetha of our country is thankfully not chocolate but a ton of desi mithais that are true to the Indian palette and find place in its history.

For instance, our famous white rassagolla, one of the most popular sweetmeats in India has been funnily attributed to the Bengalis. But did you know that this golden ball of sin was created in the town of Puri, also famous for the popular Puri Temple in the eastern part of Orissa? Rassagolla has been enjoyed in Indian households since medieval times and if you want to enjoy this juicy cottage cheese mithai in all its glory then you ought to make a trip to Salepur near Cuttack. Ab wahan tak nahin jaana hai toh you can stop by at your nearest Sweet Bengal!

Western India has the popular shrikhand and aam ras, the only two things I wait for in a Gujarati thali (this thali is usually not my favourite choice for dinner or lunch). North India’s balushahi, jalebi, malpua, ras malai, mohan thal, besan ka laddu and motichoor ke laddu are pure delights for the sweet tooth. And how can one forget the legendary paan? The gulkund ki khushboo and the meethi supaari – everything just makes the whole experience so shahi and complete, without the calories!

In the cold department, nothing beats pista, anjeer, and elaichi kulfi which now comes with various fruit flavours at many stands, especially with Gupta Kulfiwallahs. For sure, the Western world has gifted us the very special ice cream that satiates many varied palettes, what with flavours ranging from vanilla to jackfruit, but trust me, it can only be a great accompaniment to our royal gulab jamun.

Why am I doing this to you, by the way? Am I a sadistic foodie whose sweet tooth on a piece of soan papdi? Not really. All I am trying to do is tell a fairy tale of mithaas that has gotten lost in the pool of firang chocolates and yoghurts. It’s a fact that Indian sweets have lost their lustre in comparison to all the gelato and yoghurt shops mushrooming everywhere, and the easily-available ‘home-made’ chocolates. Why is it that we are carrying the ‘white man’s burden’ into our desserts as well?

Have you noticed that it takes such little time to make desi mithai than actual western sweet concoctions? Let me help you with a few:

Shahi tukda: The shahi tukda can be made with a bag of bread that simply needs to be fried and put in sugary chashni. Sprinkle some elaichi on top and serve (see pic on right).

Aata ka halwa: Aate ka halwa is an age-old favourite for me, also because my late daadi used to love it so much that she used to make it in a jiffy! All you need is nicely-roasted aata on a non-stick pan and some boiled water with jaggery in it as a healthier alternative to sugar.

Kulfi: There is such little effort that goes into making kulfi in comparison to churning a load of ice cream! All you have to do is evaporate milk for an hour as you simmer it over a low flame so as to reduce it to a quarter of its original quantity. Add sugar and mango puree, and maybe some mango pieces in a bowl. Mix together with hand and refrigerate. Serve and enjoy!

Kheer, payasam: The delectable kheer or payasam is pretty much the most heavenly way to make use of stale rice at home. Take one and a half cups of stale rice and put it in a pressure cooker with half a cup of water, 3 cups of sugar (caramelised or jaggery, in case of payasam) and cardamom powder along with double the quantity of milk. Give it a couple of whistles, and your kheer/payasam is ready! To complete this delectable dessert, fry some kaaju-badam in ghee and use as garnish.

Gujarati shrikhand: This one’s a summer delight. Use plain dahi and drain excess water by tying it in a cheese cloth. Let it rest for a couple of hours in the fridge. Take the thick curd and add some saffron soaked in two spoons of milk, along with sugar, cardamom powder and nuts. Wait for it to chill, then wallop with a vengeance! You can also add chopped mangoes or a seasonal fruit to enhance its flavour.

It’s time to quit phoren sweetmeats for the asli meetha. Let’s revive the malai ka khaja instead of crème brulee, malpua in place of pancakes, mawa cake over muffins, nan khatayi instead of cookies. After all, what fun it is to see the jalebi getting made from scratch in an old beaten down black kadhai and then watching it soak up kesar chashni…slurp!!

Anurita Gupta is a media professional who is passionate about two things – food and radio. Her love for all things food makes her a foodie with a cause.

(Pictures courtesy marrymeweddings.in, chefinyou.com, www.ahomemakersdiary.com, www.leicestershirediabetes.org.uk)