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YOGA FOR FITNESS AND HEALTH

Yoga offers physical, mental and health benefits for the people of all ages. If you are going through an illness and recovering from surgery or having a chronic condition and disease, yoga can really become an integral part of your treatment.

The word “yoga” came from the root word “yuj,” which means “to yoke”. The word itself has so many numerous meanings, from an astrological to matrimony, with the underlying theme of being connection.

Photo by Shakti Saran on Healfitnessindia

1. YOGA IMPROVES YOUR FLEXIBILITY

Flexibility is an important component of our physical health. Yoga offers so many styles to choose from so it can help you with flexibility. It also helps to resolve your breathing problem and make body flexible and healthy.

2. YOGA HELPS YOU WITH STRESS RELIEF

If you are suffering from work stress, or academic stress. You can wake up at early morning and start doing breathing exercises and meditation, it will really help you with your stress relief.

3. YOGA IMPROVES YOUR MENTAL HEALTH

If you are going through depression due to some issues in work, studies or relationship. Doing movement-based yoga therapies and breathing-based practices really works best as a therapy for your mental health

4. YOGA WILL LIKELY INCREASE YOUR STRENGTH

Doing yoga daily will likely increase your body strength. Some types of yoga classes can be considered as strength-building. Yoga is very effective at building your strength both mentally and physically.

5. YOGA REDUCES ANXIETY

Your anxious state can be reduced by doing Yoga daily. There are many types of anxieties like generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety, and specific phobias or any chronic diseases. Yoga asana may be effective way as an alternative treatment for these anxiety disorders.

6. YOGA MAY BOOST IMMUNITY

Due to Covid-19, it is really important to take care of your immune system. When your immunity is compromised, you are more susceptible to illness. So, yoga is considered a scientifically backed alternative treatment for stress and can help you achieving better immune system functioning.

Yoga can really improve your health and help you lead a healthy life. Even, our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launched a movement called Fit India in 2019, to make yoga and fitness our integral part of our life.

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION AT PARK STREET, KOLKATA

Kolkata is known as the City of Festivals. And every December, The Kolkata Christmas Festival lights up the bustling Park Street. Christmas themed decorations and twinkling LED ornaments sparkle after sundown. The streets chime in harmonious carols, while a beautiful Christmas tree decked in baubles and gift boxes awaits at the end of Allen Park.

The restaurants and the shops brighten up their premises imparting a festive look to the entire area. And many food stalls being set up on both sides of the street. Now let’s take a look at the lightning streets.

MERRY VIBES ALL AROUND

The entire Park Street starting from Russell Street to the end of Allen Park is lighted up with twinkling LED, like there is a carnival being held. Each inch of Park Street finds itself covered in layers of lighting and courtesy artisans of Chandannagar. Hanging overhead baubles, mini santas, mistletoes, bells and stars add to the merriment.

Shops selling mini reindeers, Santa caps, stars and bells find a space on the roads, with many kids eyeing the ideal treetop to take home. During this time, reindeers (including Rudolph) take to the streets, with the lovable Santa trudging along on his sleigh, this is ordinarily set up in the walkers-only zone of Allen Park. The magnificently decorated christmas tree is a sight to behold at the end of the park.

Musical shows are arranged every day at Park Street Kolkata to entertain the visitors there during Christmas. Musicians and talented singers are invited to sing which keeps the people engaged and entertained by their melodious voices and also dance along to it.

The young crowd was in true spirits of Christmas celebration, decked up with lovely costumes with the Christmas caps or the reindeer horns. Taking and posing for pictures is something they need to be the enjoyment in their eyes is wonderful to watch. Walking through the entire stretch of Park Street Kolkata will enlivened one’s spirits. The restaurants, the food stalls, cake shops were all glowing with the bright illuminating lights.

If you ever visit Kolkata during Christmas. Park Street is the best place to go. It will make you feel energized.

INDIA’S FIRST SKYWALK IN PELLING, SIKKIM

The Sikkim Pelling Skywalk is the first glass skywalk in India. It has been built so as to give a wonderful view of Chenrezig statue and the stairs that lead up to it, with golden prayer of wheels on each side.

LOCATION:

Pelling is a little town in the North-east state of Sikkim. Pelling Skywalk is situated at an altitude of 7,200 feet above the sea level along with the fourth tallest statue of Chenrezig. It is a beautiful place with mesmerizing hills, calm lakes and gushing waterfalls.

HOW TO REACH?

The town doesn’t really have railway station or airport nearby. So, it is best to go there by bus or cab. You can take a bus or cab from Geyzing which is the largest town in the district. It will take approximately 6 hours to reach Pelling and this way it will also be very budget friendly.

PELLING SKYWALK:

The Pelling skywalk inaugurated was inaugurated in 1 November, 2018. The Skywalk is a transparent structure which is made of glass. It has flourished to become one of the most famous tourist attractions where thousands of tourists come to experience the adrenaline rush that it is known to induce. The view of the Himalayas and the mesmerizing valley underneath the Pelling Skywalk is breath-taking. The Skywalk facing the magnificent Kanchenjunga and the Teesta and Rangest rivers, which flow alongside, adding a dimension to the serenity of the place.

CHENREZIG STATUE:

Chenrezig statue in Pelling is the fourth tallest statue and it is about 137 ft tall. Thousands of people visit this place every year. We have to climb several stairs to reach the Chenrezig Statue. Once reached to the top, there will be seen monks chanting prayers, lakes, prayer wheels, skywalk, breath-taking scenic views. The view from the top is unbelievable!

OPENING HOURS – The opening hours for the skywalk is 9:00 am – 6:00 pm

Best time to visit this skywalk is from February to July. And, if you love travelling then a tour to Pelling Skywalk is a must-add to your bucket list!

PATISHAPTA – A LIGHT CRÊPE FILLED WITH SWEETS

Patishapta is a very popular Bengali sweet recipe. ‘Poush Sankranti’ – the festival of rice harvest in Bengal, is celebrated by relishing the most delicious sweet the bengali cuisine offer- ‘pithe’, a variety of sweets that are prepared using rice along with milk, coconut, etc. In short, ‘Poush Sankranti’ is totally incomplete without patishapta for bengalis. There are several variations of patishapta like – Narkeler Pur Patishapta (stuffed with coconut); Kheerer Patishapta Pithe (stuffed with Kheer); Sondesh-er Patishapta (stuffed with Sondesh).

Preparation Time – 10 mins
Cook Time – 30 mins
Total Cook Time – 40 mins
Recipe Servings – 6

INGREDIENTS FOR PATISHAPTA:

For the batter:
1 cup refined flour / maida
1/2 cup Sooji (semolina)
1/4 cup Rice flour
1 1/2 – 2 cups milk to cook oil

For the filling:
3 cups coconut / khoya, grated
2 tbsp Sugar / date jaggery
3-4 Green cardamoms

COOKING DIRECTIONS:

Prepare the filling:

1 – In a bowl mix the grated coconut or khoya with sugar or jaggery and place it over low flame. If making with khoya, add little amount of milk.

2 – Then add cardamom in it.

3 – Keep stirring the mixture till it gets sticky. Keep aside to cool it down. This process will take 15-20 minutes.

Prepare the Patishapta:

1 – Take maida, sooji and rice flour in a bowl.

2 – Add milk. Mix it carefully not making any lumps. Keep the mixture for thirty minutes

3 – Heat the non stick pan and put a little amount of oil. Pour a thin layer of the mixture on it and spread it quickly with the laddle.

4 – Put the filling lengthwise at the center of it and roll it carefully. Wait till the colour is turned light brown.

5 – Then place it on the plate. Serve hot or cold.

6 – You can also pour condensed milk over it before serving.

KUMARTULI, KOLKATA- THE POTTER’S LOCALITY

Small locality in North-Kolkata where a community of potters live and they are known for their expertise in sculpting these idols from clay. This place is called Kumartuli.

Kumartuli is an amazing place here in Kolkata. In the maze of lanes between Sovabazar and Ahiritola, the gifted artisans are continuously creating masterpieces and bringing the Gods and Goddesses on earth. The neighbourhood not only supports the potters who make idols, but also the many other artisans, traders related with process of idol making. There are small shops selling the ornamentations that are used to decorate the idols, while some shops are selling clothes that are used as sarees and dhotis on idols. Kumartuli was and is still the biggest hub of Durga idols in Bengal.

Kumartuli is actually named after the potter’s (kumars or kumbhakars) who had settled in the area.

THE IDOL MAKERS OF KUMARTULI

More than 450 workshops are there in Kumartuli. The skilled artisans and potters regularly create idols of gods, goddesses and models for various other purposes. The time before the Durga Puja is the busiest for them in the year, though Bengalis have celebrations and festivals all-round the year. Even before Durga Puja, the artisans of Kumartuli are also busy with Ganesh puja, Viswakarma puja. And after the Durga Puja also comes Laxmi Puja, Kali Puja and Saraswati Puja.

Most of the Kumartuli idol makers are old working in their small dimly lit rooms. They have been making the idols for years and years. A typical workshop of artisan is usually a rectangular shaped room having an entrance facing the road or lane. If you enter the workshop, you will find rows of idols and murtis kept on either side. Idols in several stages of completion will be on display. The major problem faced by the Kumartuli idol makers is the rain which makes it becomes difficult for them to sundry the clay idols as Durga Puja is held just after the monsoon. Sometimes the artisans even use Bunsen burner flame and then blowers to dry them.

KEEMA’R DOI BORA – A UNIQUE BLEND OF MUTTON AND CURD

The fact that Bengali cuisine is one of the most diverse and rich cuisines of India is backed by reason that is influenced by many legends that were equally passionate about food. These legends have made their own version of some authentic Bengali dishes. One of these legends is Shri Rabindranath Tagore. A food connoisseur, Tagore brought recipe cards from all the places he travelled and gave them some Indian flavor. One of these delicacies is the well known keema’r doi bora. The dish is made by dunking keema stuffed doi boras in a flavoured yogurt mixture. The dish is also mentioned in the famous ‘Thakur Barir Ranna’ curated by Poornima Devi and has always been a favourite for a long time.

Now let’s go directly to the ingredients list:

INGREDIENTS:

As required for the fritters:
300 gram – mutton mince
85 gram – Onions finely chopped
4 piece chopped – Green chillies finely
1 teaspoon powder – Shahi garam masala
7 gram – Salt
90 gram – Potatoes
30 gram – Beaten egg

As required for the topping:
150 gram – Yoghurt
2 gram chopped – Mint leaves finely
1/4 teaspoon – Bhaja masala
5 gram – Sugar
1/2 teaspoon – Melted Ghee
1 tablespoon – Tamarind sauce

COOKING DIRECTIONS:

STEP 1
Heat oil in a pan and add some chopped onions and green chillies. Fry till the onions are colour of golden brown.

STEP 2
Next, add minced mutton, salt and garam masala and mix well to combine.

STEP 3
Cook the mince for 5-6 minutes and move it to a mixer grinder after it cools down. Pulse it well.

STEP 4
In a bowl, add mashed potatoes, green chillies, beaten eggs, chopped onions and the mince and mix it well.

STEP 5
Make small bowls out of the mixture and deep-fry till they are golden brown in colour.

STEP 6
Separate and drain the excess oil from the keema balls and keep them aside.

STEP 7
In a bowl, add yogurt, chopped mint, bhaja masala, salt and sugar and mix it well.

STEP 8
Serve the keema balls dunked in this yogurt mixture and serve it with a drizzle of tamarind sauce and melted ghee.

THE INTERNATIONAL KOLKATA BOOK FAIR 2022

The International Kolkata Book Fair takes place in winter. It is a special book fair in the sense of not being a trade fair—the book fair is mainly for the general public rather than whole-sale distributors. It is world’s largest non-trade book fair, Asia’s largest book fair and the most attended book fair. It is the world’s third-largest annual collection of books after the Frankfurt Book Fair and the London Book Fair.

Interesting Facts about the Book Fair 2022

This fair is also known as ‘Antarjatik Kolkata Boimela’ in Bengali. The Kolkata Book Fair 2022 was the 45th Book Fair, and every year they have a different theme for the fair. The theme is about some different country and then the famous books from that country are kept for the book fair. The theme for this year was ‘Bangladesh’. So, many books from Bengali writers were kept for exhibition in this year’s book fair.

The book fair this year was held at Central Park in Salt Lake, Kolkata. The dates were from 28th February – 13th March. In normal situations, the ground has a capacity and hosts total about 800 bookstalls. But this time due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the stalls have been reduced to 600 which is still a massive one.

The book fair has a huge number of bookstalls – these bookstalls consist of various authors, publishers, newspapers, magazines, and many others. Variety of books can be found here. Institutes, schools and universities, newspaper teams, museums, research institutes take part in this Kolkata book fair, and thus it’s one of the most important and largest book fairs in India. Aside from the book fair, many programs like singing, dancing, acts, speeches are organized here. The food stalls in this book fair are also very famous. Writers publish their books in the fair, so they get a lot of readers and sales number. People of Kolkata consider this book fair as a very vital part of their life.