Chief minister Mamata Banerjee is keen to introduce home stay in a big way. She looks at this as a development tool for the proposed Sunderbans district. This would be carved out from the districts of North and South 24-Parganas. The delta consists of 54 small islands. Here job opportunities are limited and main means of livelihood are fishing and crab hunting. In order to generate alternative livelihood for these people, the Bengal government plans to exploit the region’s tourism potential. It wants to do this through homestays with financial support from the administration. The chief minister, during a public meeting, said “I am trying to bring tourists here…. I have inaugurated nine jetties today (Tuesday) to explore river connectivity so that tourists can come.” She went on to advise residents to set up homestays. This is a facility gaining popularity with tourists in north Bengal. Her advice was - “Take one room in your home and turn it into a homestay accommodation so that tourists can stay. This will help local youths to earn a living.” Mamata advocates for homestay to boost Sunderbans tourism.
She described home stay as gharoa hotel and assured - “They (tourists) can spend a night at your home. We will give you money so that a bio-toilet is installed as well as a cot and a television set. Tourists will pay you for lodging and food in the way they pay for staying in big hotels.” She added that “this is one of the many initiatives that I have planned for you.”
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This blog is where you will get loads of tiny incidents that have left a lasting impression on me along with a dose of satire
Showing posts with label sunderbans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sunderbans. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 29, 2022
Tuesday, September 13, 2022
A Durga Puja in the Netherlands will distribute khichudi bhog on paper plates made by women of the Sunderbans
The Durga Puja has gone beyond the boundaries of Bengal. In 2017 some Bengalis of the Netherlands began the celebration there. The venue is the community center in Eindhoven. This is a major city in the North Brabant province in the Netherlands and the birthplace of the multinational company Philips. This year the Bengalis there will enter a new phase in their lives when they use paper plates made by the women of the Sunderbans. They will use these environment friendly plates to distribute khichudi bhog to the devotees who will come to the festivities. Khichudi bhog is a delectable dish made by boiling rice with pulses and a variety of vegetables that usually include potatoes, pumpkins, brinjal, cauliflower, green peas etc. Items like onions, garlic are taboo. Some whole spices including fried dry red chilies add zing to the final product. There is also a tomato dish known as chutney. The dish is served in community lunches on the occasion of the pujas usually on steel plates, some go in for plastic or thermocol plates. Mangrove plates from Sunderbans for Puja in the Netherlands. This year, the Netherlands will switch over to paper plates made in the Sunderbans. The organizers had ordered around 3,500 plates, cups and bowls and the consignment has reached the destination.
Besides generating income for the women, the paper plates reduce the adverse effect of plastic on the fragile ecosystem of the mangrove delta. Local hotels, homestays and tourist vessels have been the main buyers of the paper utensils. Now, it is making inroads into the overseas market. The Bengali community in and around Eindhoven consist of a “few hundred families.” Although it is a Bengali celebration, others also join. The IndoDutch Care Foundation, based in The Hague, established the link between the Durga Puja community and the manufacturing venture in the Sunderbans. The group started in May 2020, after Cyclone Amphan. Initially it started with a few hundred plates on a daily basis – the figure is now in thousands. Plastic waste is one of the biggest threats to the Sunderbans ecosystem and replacing plastic with paper is the best option.
Durga Puja from outside India and within –
13 Best Durga Puja in London UK 2022
14 Best Durga Puja in New York USA 2022
2022 Durga Puja Calendar for Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Tourist hotels in Puri, Darjeeling and Digha –
GosaniYatra or The Durga Puja of Puri
Darjeeling hotels brim with tourists
How Can You Enjoy Durga Puja At Affordably Priced Hotel In Digha?
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Chinese drones in the skies of Taiwan increase tension in the region
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Money is flying in the wind - Kolkata could rename itself as the City of Crorepatis
Cheetahs went extinct in India in 1953 and the first batch of 12 new animals will arrive from South Africa soon
Besides generating income for the women, the paper plates reduce the adverse effect of plastic on the fragile ecosystem of the mangrove delta. Local hotels, homestays and tourist vessels have been the main buyers of the paper utensils. Now, it is making inroads into the overseas market. The Bengali community in and around Eindhoven consist of a “few hundred families.” Although it is a Bengali celebration, others also join. The IndoDutch Care Foundation, based in The Hague, established the link between the Durga Puja community and the manufacturing venture in the Sunderbans. The group started in May 2020, after Cyclone Amphan. Initially it started with a few hundred plates on a daily basis – the figure is now in thousands. Plastic waste is one of the biggest threats to the Sunderbans ecosystem and replacing plastic with paper is the best option.
Durga Puja from outside India and within –
13 Best Durga Puja in London UK 2022
14 Best Durga Puja in New York USA 2022
2022 Durga Puja Calendar for Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Tourist hotels in Puri, Darjeeling and Digha –
GosaniYatra or The Durga Puja of Puri
Darjeeling hotels brim with tourists
How Can You Enjoy Durga Puja At Affordably Priced Hotel In Digha?
Some popular stories of this blogger –
Chinese drones in the skies of Taiwan increase tension in the region
Rain cannot dampen the spirit of Puja shoppers 2022
Huge sea waves damage a portion of the Marine Drive between Digha and Mandarmani
At least five dead in a 7.6 magnitude earthquake in Papua New Guinea
The India Meteorological Department IMD cautions about intense rainfall activity in Odisha and West Bengal
NASA shelves Artemis I unmanned mission to the moon and back while China tries to keep abreast of America
I removed my heart blockage without surgery 20 years back and am still active
Money is flying in the wind - Kolkata could rename itself as the City of Crorepatis
Cheetahs went extinct in India in 1953 and the first batch of 12 new animals will arrive from South Africa soon
Labels:
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#durgapujas,
#khichudi,
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cyclone amphan,
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plastic plates,
sunderbans,
the hague,
the Netherlands
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Didi’s underwater restaurant to woo tourists (satire)
But, things did not work out as he had expected when he met her face to face. She was there in her office with Moo Cool, Abhi Shake, Patro Chatto and Omit Misra – they were her most trusted four pillars of support. Her team of Fantastic Four.
‘Where you have shot the videos?’ Didi asked Bruto.
‘The hills of Darjeeling, the beaches of Digha and the forests of the Sunderbans,’ Bruto explained.
‘That is why I keep getting annoyed at you,’ Didi was blunt. ‘You are a well-known actor yourself, why could you not influence another actor to do something different?’ she gave a sarcastic grin. It was her specialty.
‘I forgot, we shot a video in the millennium park on the banks of the Ganges,’ Bruto said.
‘You must have also enjoyed a 5-star lunch on the floating restaurant?’ again she passed another sarcastic comment. Bruto Bose shifted uneasily in his chair. He knew that it was a difficult task to ask tourists to come to the state. In fact, the locals were trying to move out because of lack of opportunities. This in spite of Bengalis loving their wide variety of foods, their abundance of festivals, and multitude of fairs be they of books or handicrafts.
‘Have you given some thought to my idea?’ Didi asked.
Bruto Bose blinked. Didi was always having ideas. Which idea was she talking about now?
‘Didi wants to know about the underwater restaurant,’ Moo Cool whispered. ‘Like the one that has come up recently in Ahmedabad.’
‘I have thought about it,’ Bruto cleared his throat and said. ‘I have discussed with the engineers. They will draw up plans of the restaurant. It has to withstand the pressure of water. And, we have to decide on the location.’
‘I have already said it must be in Outram Ghat,’ Didi said.
‘There should be more than one,’ Bruto said. ‘Outram Ghat is one location. I think we should decide on other locations. More such restaurants mean more tourists.’
The worst part is that Didi was aware of the pitfalls of attracting tourists but, she always put up a brave face and never surrenders. In order to improve air connectivity, she had inaugurated several air routes – but, passengers are not coming.
Her motto is ‘ekla chalo’ or ‘go it alone’.
She had successfully won over the people with her philosophy and hold the reins of the state. Is she gradually realizing that she had bitten off more than she could chew?
‘What are you waiting for?’ Didi asked. ‘Put your heads together and work out the modalities.’
‘Yes,’ Moo Cool agreed. ‘Let us do that. Let us woo tourists with our underwater restaurants.’ (to be continued …)
Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org
Some more interesting links -
Abhi Shake for industries to boost Bengal’s image (satire)
Rum Mudda reminds Moody about temples (satire)
Didi is allergic to anything red (satire)
Odisha offers windsurfing, snorkeling and other water sports on the Mahanadi River
Goat farming brings joy to people of Nag Tibba in Tehri
Foods that help to lower cholesterol levels and control heart disease
“The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar” - Disney’s upcoming television movie
'Avatar 2', sequel to 'Avatar' of 2009 expected to release in December 2017
Aamir Khan no longer the face of Incredible India
Bomb attack kills 9 persons in Cairo near road leading to Egyptian pyramids
Woman with fake passport in a British Airways flight from Ibiza leads to panic
Tourists to Morocco told by Foreign Office to be vigilant about possible terror attacks
Labels:
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ahmedabad,
bengal tourism,
bruto bose,
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omit misra,
patro chatto,
sunderbans,
tourists,
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