Bengali Trust organises a cultural evening Mr Pumpkin comes calling

Though it is a permanent fixture at Halloween, pumpkin is also known for its inherent goodness and nutritional value. It is rich in antioxidants, low in calories and full of vitamins A, B and C. DNA lists some interesting pumpkin recipes that can be easily prepared at home in just 30 minutes
Richa Pinto l VASHI
Pics SM Kabeer

As part of the build-up to Durga Puja, which will be organised on a grand scale by Bengal Trust, the association organised a cultural event at Marathi Sahitya Mandir, Vashi, on Saturday. Recital of Bengali melodies, plays and dance shows, were organised as part of the event. The event began with a patriotic song, which was presented by the children of the members. This was followed by solo recitals by other members. We started the event at 7pm and it went on till 10.30pm. Now, we will start our preparations for Durga Puja, said Asit Ghosh, president of Bengal Trust. Meetu Goswamy presented an enthralling dance item. After the song and dance performances ended, Ghosh explained why they planned to celebrate Durga Puja on a grand scale this year. We want to celebrate Durga Puja on a grand scale so that the revenue earned from the event can be used in setting up an educational institution for the underprivileged. One cannot start an institution without funds. Events like this, help us to collect the funds, he said. At the event, the trust also announced its life-time membership offer. Event convener Utpal Chakraborty, who also

Podi Podicha Pulinkari

Preparation time: 15-20 minutes Cooking time: 30-45 minutes Ingredients l 1 cup pumpkin (peeled and cubed into pieces) 1 slit of green chilly 1 tamarind (lemon-size ball) 1 tsp powdered jaggery l tsp turmeric powder l Salt to taste l 1 tbsp oil To roast and powder l 1 tbsp raw rice, l tbsp methi seeds l 2 to 3 dried red chilly l Asafoetida (hing) Seasoning l 1 tbspn coconut oil l 1 tbsp mustard seeds l Few curry leaves Method l Soak tamarind in hot water for 10 minutes, squeeze and extract the tamarind juice and then keep it aside. l Wash the rice and drain it. Heat a kadai, and dry roast the rice. When it starts changing colour, add methi seeds and red chilly and roast till the rice has turned golden brown. Cool and powder it and then keep it aside. l Heat oil in a kadai, add pumpkin and green chilly and saute for about two minutes. Then add the tamarind extract to the pumpkin pieces along with a cup of water. Add turmeric powder, salt and asafoetida. Mix well and let them boil. l Cover and cook on medium flame till the pumpkin pieces are cooked. l Add jaggery and let it boil uncovered for another 3 to 4 minutes. Now mix the roasted powder in cup of water and add it to the above gravy. Simmer for another 3 to 4 minutes; garnish with curry leaves. Heat oil in a small frying pan. Then add mustard seeds and pour this over the pulinkari.

Pumpkin Halva
Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 30 minutes Ingredients l 1 cup red pumpkin (grated) l 1 cup milk l Few saffron strands l Cardamom powder l 1 tsp sugar free l 1 tsp ghee l Dry fruits for garnishing Method l Heat ghee in a kadai. When it becomes hot, add grated pumpkin and saute for five minutes. l Add milk and cook till grated pumpkin leaves the sides of the kadai. l Add sugar free and then mix it well. l When it starts leaving the sides of the kadai remove it. l Garnish with dry fruits.

Red Pumpkin Soup

Preparation time: 20-25 minutes Cooking time: 10-15 minutes Ingredients l kg red pumpkin (sliced) l 1 onion (sliced) l 2-3 cloves l 1 small piece ginger l 1 cup coconut milk, water l 2 tbsp butter l Salt, black salt and cumin powder to taste Method l Slice the pumpkin without the skin. l Peel the onion and slice it. l Add butter in a kadai, add the cloves, saute for a minute and then add onion and saute till it changes colour. l Add pumpkin slices and saute it with little salt till they turn soft; allow to cool. l Grind it in a mixer with a cup of water and then transfer to a kadai and boil. Add salt, roasted cumin powder and coconut milk. l Remove the kadai from the gas. l Do not boil after adding coconut milk. l Consistency should not be watery. l Serve with chopped pudina leaves.

acted in one of the plays, spoke about his performance. The play titled Jivan Collage highlighted the various changes that take place in ones lifetime. We were elated with the

response of the audiences. Although we have conducted small events in the past, this was the first time Bengal Trust was organising such a grand cultural extravaganza. We are

eagerly looking forward to this years Durga Puja celebrations. Jhuma Ganguly and Dipayan Goswami were appreciated for their performance in the play.

Kalaripayattu comes to Kharghar

DNA Correspondent
l KHARGHAR

SlK Foundations Wellness Center was recently inaugurated at Kharghar by Yogamaharshi Sadashiv Nimbalkar

Wanna learn kalaripayattu, one of the oldest martial art forms in our country. Thanks to SlK foundation it is possible that Kharghar residents now have access to the martial art form and other nature-friendly health solutions. SlK foundations Wellness Center was recently inaugurated at Kharghar by yogamaharshi Sadashiv Nimbalkar. located at sector 12, the centre would offer facilities like yoga, ayurvedic medicine

consultancy, massage, kalaripayattu, naturopathy, nutrition consultancy, and dance. The 15-year-old NGO has opened the centre with the concept of transforming illness to wellness. Speaking on the occasion, Pankaj Pandit of the foundation said while modern medical science superficially defines wellness as absence of illness, Ayurveda has better understanding of the concept. it means a person whose bodily ingredients are in a state of equilibrium, with proper digestion and metabolism, said Pandit.

Red Pumpkin Chutney

Preparation time: 10-15 minutes Cooking time: 15-20 minutes Ingredients l 1 cup red pumpkin (grated) along with the tender part after removing the seeds l 1 green chilli, red chilli l Handful coriander, mint leaves l 3 tbsp oil l Small piece ginger, tamarind, garlic l Salt to taste l 3 onion (medium-sized) Method l Take a kadai and pour oil in it. When oil is hot, put red chilli and fry for sometime. Remove the red chilli and keep it aside. l In the same oil, add chopped onions, saute for two minutes. Then add grated pumpkin, green chilli, tamarind piece in it. Saute for sometime. Switch the gas off. l Add garlic, ginger, coconut, mint leaves, salt and grind; to make a smooth chutney with water. l This can be had with dal, rice, curd rice, chappati, vada pav or pattice.

Aishwarya bags silver in under-15 squash tourney

DNA Correspondent

NOT A fAiRy-TAlE ENDiNG

On Tuesday a group of pigeons rest and defecate atop a sculpture installed on a tower in Palm Beach road Nandu Kurne DNA

Thane districts Aishwarya Bhattacharya won silver medal in the girls under-15 age category in the indian Junior Open Squash Tournament, which was held in Chennai recently. The event is a gold rated Asian Junior Event. Aishwarya beat Goas Akanksha Salunkhe 11-9,1311,11-8 in the quarterfinal. in the semifinal, she shocked second seed Ho Ka Wing of Hong Kong 15-13,11-9,11-6. Aishwarya rallied in the second set from 3-9 down to clinch it 11-9. Smart use of the court helped her to secured the second set. She kept up the pressure in the third set to ensure the thrilling victory. incidentally, Aishwarya had lost to Ho Ka in last years under-13 final. in the final, Aishwarya faced

top seed Mihiliya Methsarani of Sri lanka. The Asian Junior Bronze medallist, Mihiliya, had reached the summit clash without losing a single set. in spite of putting up a tough fight, Aishwarya lost the match 2-3 (12-10, 8-11, 8-11, 11-9, 6-11). The match lasted for 47 minutes. Aishwarya, who finished sixth in the Asian Junior Squash Tournament in iran in June, said, i made few unforced errors. My opponent was simply brilliant in the front court. i

need to be quicker and work on my volleys to compete at international level. four girls from Thane district Ananya Dabke, Avani Nagar, Aaryaa Oagale and Anannya More also put up a good show. Ananya won the bronze medal in the under-11 category. She beat JS Krithika of Tamil Nadu 3-1 (11-6, 7-11,11-7,11-9) in the quarterfinal but lost to top seed Megha Bhatia of Delhi in the semifinal. Avani, Aaryaa and Anannya all managed to reach quarterfinals.

Indoor games on National Sports Day

DNA Correspondent l PANVel

Shantiniketan Public School, New Panvel, celebrated National Sports Day with a plethora of sports activities within the school premises on August 29. indoor activities such as carrom, chess, badminton, skipping and skating among others kickstarted the sports day. Students from class i to X participated in this daylong activity with great enthusiasm. They were also informed on this day was born the legendary hockey player major Dhyan Chand. The sports day was possible only because of the efforts put in by our hard working PE teachers Virendra Patil and Smita Kamble. They made it a point that maximum number of students participated in the National Sports Day celebrations, principal of the school Swati Roy said.

Aishwarya Bhattacharya (right) with the other medal winners in the under-15 category

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