Author: Pooja Ghose

RootsandLeisure_DryFishChutney

Dry Fish Chutney with King Chilli – Assamese Style

Published by Pooja Ghose

Have you ever tried Dry Fish? It’s smell might be a little too intense for most people, but give us a chance here. The chutney recipe that we are going to share today, might just change your taste buds and your opinion about the (smelly) dry fish! This chutney is made with king chilli preserved in mustard oil, dried fish and roasted tomato. It’s a very popular in the Northeast region, and is usually had as a side dish.  Photo courtesy: Ashapurna Phukan (@ashaphukan) Ingredients you’ll need: 20 gms of Dry Fish 1 medium-sized tomato 1 onion  1-inch of ginger  4-5 cloves of garlic 1/2 tsp of red chilli powder 1 tsp of King or Ghost chili – infused in mustard oil Salt to taste Note: Infused chilli oil is made my preserving oil (preferably mustard) and King/Ghost chillies together in a glass jar/container. Place the container in a warm and dry place for a couple of days, until it’s ready to be consumed. Directions to cook: Roast the dry fish in a frying pan for 5 minutes …

RootsandLeisure_DylanCafe

This Cafe in Shillong is Bringing Bob Dylan’s Music Back with a Twist

Published by Pooja Ghose

Shillong, a beautiful city unsurprisingly known as ‘Scotland of the East’, has also grown up to become India’s ‘Rock Capital’. As a city that hosts a line of international concerts and music festivals every year, Shillong is home to a lot of talented musicians (Tipriti Kharbangar and Rudy Wallang anyone?) and music lovers alike. Music runs in the heart of the city and love for rock music especially is shared passionately among both the young and old. So, in a city where musicians are worshipped as Gods and music seeps through all aspects of life, one is bound to encounter little nooks and corners that revel in good music alone. Today, at R&L, we introduce you to one such amazing local venture that pays special tribute to eminent musician & poet, Bob Dylan. Set in a quiet neighbourhood right next to St Edmund’s school, Dylan’s Cafe, is aiming to reinvigorate Dylan’s memory among local enthusiasts. Needless to say, we couldn’t help but find out what the buzz was all about. We spoke with Vatsala Tibrewalla, …

RootsandLeisure_AbhilashBaishya

Meet Abhilash Baishya – 20 Year old Photographer from Assam

Published by Pooja Ghose

Photography. Is it an art or a science? I guess most would agree that it is a bit of both. Taking a good photograph involves a lot of technical skills and knowing your instrument. It is indeed a subject of science. But more young people are taking up photography with ever-growing zeal, using it as a medium to express their creativity through the camera lens. Whether it is about evoking an emotion in one’s audience, conveying a message, or capturing the essence of a place, person or a thing, photography has come a long way to evolve into a form of self-expression for many. We at R&L continuously strive to reach out to people who are passionately involved in bringing out the art of the sciences. Photography is one such art that does it beautifully. Meet Abhilash Baishya from Assam –  a 20 year-old photographer cum filmmaker, who is ardently using photography to capture memories of people, places, emotions and adventures among other things. Baishya likes clicking evocative photos and creating informative travel videos and vlogs on YouTube. …

RootsandLeisure_Arunachal

Faces | Lovely Old Couple from Arunachal Pradesh

Published by Pooja Ghose

“We are on our way to the Gompa (Buddhist Temple). We go there every morning to meditate for an hour or two daily. We have to go uphill so it’s a bit tiring at this age, but this is how we would like to start our day . . Our children – they live in the city, and we sometimes go to visit them, but we soon start longing to come back to the hills. We like the peace and quiet here. This is our home. We have been telling our children to come back home.. but they seem caught up for now.”