Untimely rains in south Bengal send veggie prices spiralling
Untimely rains in all south Bengal districts, including Kolkata, have caused massive damage to vegetable crops planted over large areas throughout south Bengal. The rain, caused by a depression over Bay of Bengal, has led to a sharp rise in prices of winter vegetables such as carrots, cauliflower, beans and peas, burning a hole in the pockets of average Kolkatan customers. The prices of eggs have also gone up.
Kolkata bids adieu to ‘Priyo da’, last rites held with state honours
The mortal remains of veteran Congress leader Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi were taken around the Eastern Metropolis for people to pay homage to their ‘Priyo da’. Dasmunsi’s body, which arrived at Dumdum airport from Delhi on Monday evening, was first taken to the Congress state headquarters in Bidhan Bhavan, where top party leaders paid their tributes.
The body was then taken to Calcutta High Court for advocates to pay tributes, and then to Dasmunsi’s residence on Rani Bhavani Road. Finally, the body was flown in a helicopter from Dumdum airport to Dasmunsi’s hometown Raiganj in Uttar Dinajpur district, where the last rites were performed with full state honours.
Tangra’s Chinese food to tease Britain’s taste buds
A Chinese restaurateur born in Kolkata’s Chinatown Tangra is all set to open a chain of Indo-Chinese restaurants in the United Kingdom. Encouraged by the response from Britain-based Bengalis, Steven Lee, who runs an Indo-Chinese restaurant in Harrow in the UK, plans to set up a chain of restaurants called Hakkaland UK in East London, Leeds, Birmingham and Leicester.
Keeping in mind the multi-cultural customer base in the country, Lee hopes his Hakka chicken, ginger chicken, fish pepper salt, Tai Tai paneer and soya chilli, among other delicacies, will be liked by patrons. Formerly a home to tanneries, Tangra is now dotted with Chinese restaurants owned and run by Chinese migrants, mostly from Guangdong in China, which serve food with Indian flavours.
Come winter, come Bhutias
With the onset of winter across south Bengal, including Kolkata, Tibetan dealers in warm clothes, popularly known as ‘Bhutias’ across the state, have started setting up their seasonal stalls in the city and
other parts of the state. A large number of Bengalis wait for the Bhutias to arrive before buying new winter wears. Most of the Tibetans make their annual journey to the eastern state from Dharmashala in Himachal Pradesh. They buy warm clothes from trading points in Tibet, and also from Jalandhar in Punjab.
Aishik Chanda
The author is the correspondent of the New Indian Express in West Bengal.
Email: chanda.aishik@gmail.com