Joynagarer Moah – a unique sweet of Bengal

There are several food items that are unique to West Bengal and, while others may try to imitate them, their efforts very seldom deliver that which is there in the originals. Bengalis have a sweet tooth and sweets rule the roost – in every lane and by lane, alongside the tea shops there are the shops that sell sweets. The sweets appear to be the same but, each shop has its specific patrons.
Anyway – to return to some sweets that are Bengal’s identity. There is the Joynagarer moah which is available only during the winter months. The reason is the ingredients that go into making these sweets that are the delight of Bengalis. Anyone who is returning from Kolkata during winter would invariably be weighed down by packets of this delicacy.

The moah are made from a special kind of puffed rice that are bound with jiggery – that too special nalen gur which is made out of the juice of palms trees. The juice is collected and boiled over a slow fire till the liquid crystalizes and turns solid. There is a special tact involved and the final product depends on the artist who toils over the fire to create these masterpieces. Machines cannot create these.
There was tis beautiful movie on the subject – it was the 1973 movie Saudagar and its actors were Amitabh Bachhan, Nutan and Padma Khanna.
Anyway, the Joynagarer moah of South 24 Parganas Joynagar district has now won the coveted G I (geographical indication) tag. This tag attaches great prestige to the special sweet that has a very short life and has brought joy to those who make these.
Two more equally unique Bengali sweets are the Mihidana and Sitabhog of Burdwan.
These are under evaluation by the concerned people in Chennai and a decision is expected to be made known soon.
Incidentally, a GI tag is a name or sign used on certain products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin. (to be continued …)

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Growing up days – Bollywood heroines of the 1960s

Bollywood heroines of the 1960s were forever shy with sarees draped around their lissome bodies – the result was meant to provide possibilities of the viewers to go on some sort of a make believe journey into a world of fantasy. Of course, movies were and still are worlds of fantasies and make-believe – hence the mass appeal. But, only a handful of heroines of the 1960s went in for show of skin which, in today’s world, is the order of the day.

They were Sharmila Tagore who donned a swimsuit in the 1967 movie ‘An Evening in Paris’ and Vijayantimala who, in the 1964 super-hit ‘Sangam’, was shown swimming in a lake.
Without doubt, the Bollywood heroines of the 1960s lasted the full decade and are held their positions throughout the decade and even beyond – that can hardly be said of heroines of the present era. Many of today’s heroines are flashes in the pan.
Waheeda Rehman – Kala Bazaar (1960), Sahib bibi aur ghulam (1962), Bees saal baad (1962), Baat ek raat ki (1962), Mujhe jeene do (1963), Guide (1965), Teesri Kasam (1966), Ram aur Shyam (1967)
Nutan – Chhalia (1960), Bandini (1962), Dil hi to hai (1963), Tere Ghar ke Saamne (1963), khandan (1964), Milan (1967), Saraswatichandra (1968)
Asha Parekh – Jab pyar kisi se hota hai (1961), Phir wohi dil laya hoon (1963), Love in Tokyo (1966), Aye din bahar ke (1966), Do Badan (1966), Baharon ke sapne (1967), Aya sawaan jhoom ke (1969) Sharmila Tagore – Kashmir ki kali (1964), An evening in Paris (1967), Waqt (1965), Aamne Saamne (1967), Aradhana (1969), Talaash (1969), Satyakam (1969)

Sadhana – Love in Simla (1960), Ek Musafir Ek Hasina (1962), Mere Mehboob (1963), Woh kaun thi (1964), Arzoo (1965), Mera Saaya (1966), Ek phool do mali (1969)
Vijayantimala – Gunga Jumna (1961), Sangam (1964), Amrapali (1966), Suraj (1966), Jewel Thief (1967), Saathi (1968) Nanda – Kala Bazaar (1960), Hum Dono (1961), Gumnaam (1965), Teen Deviyan (1965), Jab Jab phool khile (1965), Ittefaq (1969) (to be continued …)