Special Thanks To

Paramita Mukherjee, Sayani Sarkar & Tannistha Mukherjee for their contributions. This post could not have been possible without the recipes they have shared.        

Healthy, quick tiffin box recipes

Flattened rice (Poha) Tikki

Packed with iron, fibre, carbohydrates, antioxidants and vitamins, Poha (chire) provides a wholesome meal. And it’s also gluten-free.

A quick look at the ingredients to prepare poha Tikki for tiffin

Poha – a handful for two medium size tikkis, a small potato, seasonal vegetables (most preferably carrot, beans and capsicum), 2-3 tablespoons refined oil, ½ cube cheese or one teaspoon butter, half onion, pepper & salt according to taste

The ratio of poha to potato should be 1:1/2

Poha Tikki recipe

Wash the poha to soften it but ensure it does not become soggy. Mash the hardboiled (not very tender, yet mashable) potato in a bowl and add finely chopped onion, grated vegetables and cheese or butter. Mix well. Add the softened poha. Sprinkle in some salt and pepper. Mix well with your hand. Take small portions from the mixture. Give the portions flat shapes like Tikki or patty. Keep aside. Heat the oil and shallow fry the Tikki or patties till golden.

Preparation time: 10 to 15 mins. You can prepare the veggies the previous night and refrigerate them in a bowl of water or in an air-tight pouch.

Pick it and place it in your child’s tiffin box. As a dip, you can give tomato sauce or mayonnaise. (Try out Hellmann’s Eggless Mayonnaise.)

Pancake/Gola Ruti

This is one of those quick tiffin box recipes which has the widest variance. Different moms make this all-time favourite tiffin food in different ways. The process is the same, it’s only one of the ingredients that differ from mom to mom. 

Ingredients which has a wide options to choose from

An egg, all-purpose flour/semolina/Rava/wheat flour, chopped onion, grated veggies (if available), turmeric (optional), salt, pepper/chillies, oil for greasing the pan so that the batter doesn’t get stuck, a pinch of julienned ginger (optional). You can also add a bit of milk to the batter. It helps to maintain the consistency of the mixture and is healthy but adding is not a must.

Preparation

Preparation time: 10 to 15 mins. You can prepare the veggies the previous night and refrigerate them in a bowl of water or in an air-tight pouch.

Whisk the egg and mix in every ingredient to make a batter. The batter should be neither thick nor watery.

Grease the pan and start putting a ladle full of batter for browning. When one side browns, flip it and let the other side cook in the same way.

If in a dire hurry, you can also make this preparation without veggies and onion. In that case, add half a teaspoon of honey.

You can also add mayonnaise to it. But, in that case, whisk the mayo and then add the egg.

Quick fix Rava/semolina upma

Along with various other benefits, upma helps in digestion and boosts energy (something that all our kids need).

Ingredients

• Half cup Rava/fine blended suji (Semolina)
• Mustard seeds and curry leaves for tempering
• 1/4^th potato
• 1/4^th onion
• A small portion of carrot
• A handful of groundnuts
• 2-3 tablespoons oil or ghee
• Salt according to taste
• A teaspoon of coriander for garnishing (optional)

Preparation

• Finely chop all the vegetables
• Add oil/ghee to a deep-bottomed pan
• Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and curry leaves to splutter. Then, add the veggies to it.
• Stir fir them until mildly cooked.
• Add the Rava and keep frying. Sprinkle some water on and off.
• Add the salt.
• Once the rava turns golden brown, take it off the pan, and garnish it with coriander.

Preparation time: 10 mins. You can prepare the veggies the previous night and refrigerate them in a bowl of water or in an air-tight pouch.

Lemon Rice

Like pancakes, lemon rice is also a prevalent tiffin food which our friends from Southern India swear by. Lemon rice is straightforward to make and lengthens the shelf life of rice. During humid days, when our kids cannot digest fried food easily, you can prepare lemon rice to cool the gut.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of pre-cooked rice (tastes better with short-grained gobindobhog atop chaal/rice)
• A handful of groundnuts
• A sprig of curry leaves
• A pinch of mustard seeds, chana daal (Bengal gram), urad daal for tempering
• ½ tsp of turmeric powder
• Salt and Sugar according to taste
• ½ slice of lemon
• 2 tbsp refined oil

Preparation:

• Heat the oil in the pan
• Fry the groundnuts and keep them aside.
• Now, put the mustard seeds, urad and chana dal in the same oil.
• As they start spluttering, add the curry leaves and immediately add the pre-cooked rice
• Stir in. Add the fried groundnuts, turmeric powder, salt and sugar. Mix well.
• Meanwhile, take the juice from the lemon slice and mix it with 1 ½ tbsp of water.
• Turn off the flame after mixing the rice well with the other ingredients.
• Add the lemon juice and water mix. Mix well. Once you see the colour of the mixed rice changing to faded yellow, you know it’s done.
• Preparation time: If you use a cooker, the rice hardly takes 15mins to cook. And once that’s ready, the rest is a matter of just 10 mins more. To quicken the process, you can use last night’s pre-cooked rice.
• Serve in the tiffin box after a standing time of 5 minutes.

Kabuli Chana Chaat (Chick Pea Salad)

The Chick Pea or Kabuli Chana has high protein content, which is required for nourishment in children.

Preparation that’ll make your Mondays happier

1. Boil overnight soaked Kabuli chana (Chick Pea), or use pre-boiled chana. The quantity depends on the kid’s appetite.

2. Mix chopped onion, cucumber, tomato, chilli and Kabuli chana in a bowl. Add a dash of lemon juice and black salt before packing the tiffin.

Preparation time: This is one of the best quick tiffin box recipes. It hardly takes 8 mins to prepare this delicious recipe. And can be used as a great evening snack too.

So, here are a few handpicked quick tiffin recipes, and we have a storehouse full of more tiffin ideas. So, please write to us in the comment section if you want more quick tiffin ideas from us. And if you have some other ideas, which will make the tiffing times more joyful for the kids without burning us, the moms, please share with us.

Related Articles: Hugely Popular Bengali Breakfast Dishes

The post Quick Tiffin Box Recipes appeared first on KolkataFusion.

Subhadra Sengupta was an Indian writer based in Delhi. She was born in June 1959 and had a master’s degree in history. She was the winner of Sahitya’s Akademi’s 2015 Bal Sahitya Puraskar. Of the many books, she wrote, I have read only a few. And have thoroughly enjoyed them. One of her books, Mystery of the House of Pigeons, was adapted into a television series for Doordarshan as Khoj Khazana Khojer. Most of her books are genres of historical fiction and non-fiction. But she also wrote travelogues, comic strips and detective stories. She lost her battle against Covid19 in the year 2021.

A few books I have read are Let’s Go Time Travelling, Let’s Go Time Travelling Again, Kings and Queens, A Flag, A Song and A Pinch of Salt and Mostly Ghostly Stories.

Let’s go Time Travelling

The book Let’s go Time Travelling describes the lifestyle of people from the Harappan Civilization to the British era. Its sequel, Let’s Go Time Travelling Again, gives us a broad picture of the various occupations of ancient India. I loved these two books as they had a lot of information about ancient civilizations depicted humorously.

To buy the Let’s Go Time Travelling, Click. And to buy Let’s Go Time Travelling Again, Click here

Kings and Queens

Kings and Queens is a book about famous and mighty emperors and empresses, like Chandragupta Maurya, the ruler of Magadha, was the founder of the Mauryan Dynasty. And Razia Sultan was an empress of the Slave Dynasty. Although she was a woman, that didn’t stop her from becoming a great ruler. Krishnadeva Raya of the Tuluva Dynasty was a powerful king of Vijayanagar. He was a fierce fighter, a book lover and even wrote poetry. Noor Jahan was the youngest of all the wives of Jahangir. But with sheer willpower, personality, courage & political skill, she gradually became the centre of power.

To buy Kings and Queens by lesser-known Children’s Writer – Subhadra Sengupta, Click here

A Flag, A Song and A Pinch

A Flag, A Song and A Pinch of Salt tell us about the lives and achievements of famous freedom fighters like Ambedkar, Abul Kalam Azad, Annie Besant, Sarojini Naidu and many more. I learnt a lot about many freedom fighters I didn’t know previously.    

Buy the book online     

Mostly Ghostly Stories

However, Mostly Ghostly Stories is a very different book. It contains spooky and mysterious stories and elements of suspense, fun and courage.

Buy Mostly Ghostly Stories online

To read about Edaan’s Safari expereince, follow the link : MY FIRST JUNGLE SAFARI EXPERIENCE

I would like to read more books written by Subhadra Sengupta in future. If she had been alive, I would have interacted with her and thanked her for the good reads about historical events and other subjects.

Edaan Ghosh

Edaan Ghosh, a class IV student of Bhavan’s Gangabaux Kanoria Vidyamandir, Kolkata, is a passionate reader and loves to prod into the history of India. He has an extensive interest in the people, culture, religion and occupation of ancient India and also the world. While searching for books on the history of India for young readers, he and his mother stumbled upon the books by Subhadra Sengupta. Thus, a small tribute to his beloved writer on her Birth as well as Death Anniversary.

The post Tribute to lesser-known Children’s Writer – Subhadra Sengupta appeared first on KolkataFusion.

Now more than one year has passed – almost from the beginning of 2020- the life of the most dominant species of this planet has been under the grip of the covid-19 pandemic. This epidemic has badly hit not only our bodies but also our mind. The human mind is not keeping well; many people are suffering from severe mental health conditions. The sky of our mind has become shrouded with feelings of insecurity, uncertainty, anxiety, depression, fear of death – from children to the elderly – perhaps nobody is spared.  

Side effects of the Covid – 19 Pandemic: Challenges to the physical mobility

The scientific research finding that the coronavirus infection is a contagious disease which has started to regulate our lifestyle during this period. If the spread of infection cannot be arrested, the situation would become virulent; we cannot let harmful viruses colonize our bodies. As a result, many various restrictions have been imposed on our day-to-day life to protect ourselves. This form of life is totally unfamiliar and unprecedented to all of us. And sadly enough, this different lifestyle is being called ‘new normal.’

One of the most critical aspects of this ‘new normal’ life is restricted physical mobility in public/social space, as maintaining social/physical distance has been identified as one of the powerful tools to arrest the spread of this infectious disease. Hence, the need has been felt to control and curtail our free and arbitrary movements. Society vis-a-vis state mechanisms have deployed various means to keep watch on and monitor an individual’s movements.

Yet these days, contemporary urban life had come to accustom to enjoying the flavour of freedom with free, unrestricted physical movements and self-regulated activities. Any kind of state or society-imposed injunctions generate a sense of resistance and conflict in the awakened minds of 21st century people.

Having come out of the inertia of unquestionable compliance, individuals of today’s world find the meaningful presence of their independent selves in the acts of protest and opposition. This is eventually reflected through various organised protests, debates, and attempts of disobedience and violation of restrictions and protocol advisories issued to maintain health and hygiene during this ongoing pandemic in multiple corners of the globe. Because of their lack of awareness, some people are showing their disregard for the entire Covid pandemic situation. Also, there are people whose struggle for survival is so very challenging that they cannot afford to sit at home to abide by the regulations of maintaining physical distance and avoiding exposure to the public domain.  

Almost all individuals are finding it difficult to accept the compelling closure and stalemate of homebound life that they have been thrown into by restricted physical mobility due to this pandemic. This sense of confinement is creating stress on their minds, which is affecting their mental health badly.

All these floating thoughts in my mind fetch many other thoughts along with them. Some hitherto forgotten thoughts have surfaced out of the oscillation that is going on in me between dynamism and stagnancy. The repetitive mundane life had covered them up from my sight until recently.

Physical Mobility of the Human Beings

Human science claims that human beings are the most evolved species on this planet and the best of all creations of nature! Human consciousness is the most developed, and therefore, human thought, understanding and senses are the finest among all other species of life. Human language – sign, words, gestures, or any other medium, through which humans express their thoughts and feelings, interpret other minds and external worlds in their terms, is also the most advanced one. This species experience the feeling of bondage in the state of immovability and immobility.

Stagnation, getting stuck in one place and lack of dynamism make humans unhappy, and take away their vivacity. To a species that can change their geographical location at their own wish and will, changing physical position, moving from one place to another, mobility of body are prerequisites of freedom. Unrestricted mobility of both mind and body keep human beings lively, cheerful and enthusiastic.        

But interestingly enough, this same species of Homo Sapiens, at some point of evolution, chose to settle down in one particular place to build up a durable/temporary shelter at the cost of their nomadic life. It took resort to stability in life and bid adieu to the once ever-volatile lifestyle. Since then, a permanent abode, a protected shelter, has started to provide a sense of psychological security to them, which helped them cope with the outer world’s sheer uncertainty. Thus not having a stable residence has become one of the basic existential crises of present-day human life.

Recommended Read: Covid -19 thoughts of a medical professional.

This crisis gives rise to various feelings of insecurity among the dwellers of today’s earth. The sense of security in recent civilized people has become inseparably attached with the assurance of a consistent place of dwelling. The episodes depicting the sufferings out of displacement and homelessness uphold one of this civilization’s major and serious community exigencies. In this way, contemporary human individuals carry inside them the dilemma of motion and rest, immobility and physical mobility, dynamism and stability, change and stagnation.

Perhaps, when the human beings said goodbye to the nomadic life to deal with the uncertainty, contingency, and suddenness of external reality, they started to feel in themselves their dynamic, change-loving spirit more and more. Whenever this spirit gets dampened, humans feel lifeless, depressed and gloomy.    

Continued in Part 2

The post Pandemic thoughts (Part 1): Life beyond physical mobility appeared first on KolkataFusion.

That’s one of the things I love about makeup. You can change your whole attitude by just doing your eyeliner or lipstick differently.

During this pandemic time, a bit of makeup might lift up your mood and give you that right attitude to face the daily hurdles. Our guest blogger, Madhuparna Kar has shared some simple and useful makeup tips, and her journey into this world of beauty.

Am I beauty obsessed?

I first became aware of my passion for skincare when I developed severe dull skin during my postpartum.

Back then, the maternity leave was just 3 months; so, the thought of showing that face to work gave me nightmares.

I started researching the Internet. I read about a zillion articles on the web about skincare and then followed the routine which suited me.

This fixed my skin within six weeks’ time! I was so inspired by the impact and positive change in my life that I decided on never taking my skin for granted.

That’s how I became what I am today – a beauty obsessed!

Makeup came way later into my life. I mean, I never was aloof to the art of making myself attractive. I knew the basic functionalities of a kajal, eyeliner, foundation, compact, and a bit of eyeshadow too back in my college days. But that was it! High-end and drugstore products, contouring, highlighting, baking, cut crease, or kabuki brushes- these terms were alien to me.

While skincare is more important in the long run, that does not mean we should consider makeup our enemy.

Makeup can do so much for you and the best part is that it comes off at the end of the day and you can experiment with so many things every day.

Read More: Fitness Starts With I

Simple Makeup Tips

Have dark circles or redness you want to cover up? Color correctors are your BFFs.

Have blemishes or scars? Concealer will save the day.

Have enlarged pores and fine lines? A primer will fill it all and make a smooth base.

Have uneven skin? A foundation will take care of it all.

Need to chisel out your face? Contour it out.

Want to look lit from within? Highlighter! and the list is never-ending.

Just remember that the main principle behind makeup is to enhance what we already have: natural beauty.

Makeup is not a mask to hide behind. It is just a smart way to cover some imperfections.

And that is how the fine lines between skincare and makeup began to blur. Even the beauty industry is now infusing skincare with makeup, offering the best of both worlds.

In the end, I would say the choice for makeup is yours. Good skin is the key to great-looking makeup. Even if your skin is perfect most of the time, there may be breakouts now and then and makeup can be a quick fix.

My Go to Brands

I personally am not a high-end brand person. Come on let’s face it, I am no Beyonce!! So, I try to pick products that are pocket friendly and still do the job right. Here is a list of my goto products which I use.

Concealer and correctors

The perfect destination:  L.A Girl PRO. Conceal concealers/correctors. I am totally bowled over by its performance. In terms of coverage, shade selection and of course money, this one clearly is a winner!

Price:  Around Rs 600 for 8g

Buy the L.A Girl PRO Conceal online.

Primer: Lakme Absolute Blur Perfect Makeup Primer

A perfecting primer that instantly blurs imperfections and reduces the appearance of pores for up to eight hours.

Price:  Around Rs 700 for 30g

Buy Lakme Absolute Blur Perfect Makeup Primer online.

Foundation: Maybelline New York Super Stay Full Coverage Foundation

Nothing is as perfect as this. Been my bestie for years now. A vast range of shades to choose from.

Price – Rs 750 for 30ml

Buy Maybelline New York Super Stay Full Coverage Foundation online.

Highlighter: Maybelline New York Face Studio Master Chrome Metallic Highlighter

Absolutely nothing comes close to this. And the glow it gives is legit.

Price – Rs 550

Buy online the Maybelline New York Face Studio Master Chrome Metallic Highlighter.

Contour: Kay Beauty Contour Stick

This one was tricky. I was searching for a contour stick to suit my wheatish complexion but failed to find one. And then I bumped into this holy product. It melts in the skin like butter. The pigmentation is just perfect.

Price – Rs 600

Buy online the Kay Beauty Contour Stick.

Bottom Line: Keep it Sweet and Subtle

Makeup is important, but too many women make the mistake of wearing so much that they lose its benefits.

Be mindful of the impression you want to make, and focus on using makeup to enhance your natural beauty.

I would be lying if I said I am a makeup expert, but yes, I am learning. Makeup is an art form, which requires extensive research and practice to master. But at the end of the day, creating a new look does give me a feeling of euphoria. A smokey eye, a cut crease, or a dewy look, you name it, and Google will provide you with more videos than you can think of.

I would say if you have the time, energy and inclination, go for it. I promise you will feel the difference!

My Inspiration

I have been following this angel for quite some time now on Instagram and Youtube. Her name is Malvika Sitlani Aryan. Her makeup tips are unbeatable – she makes it look like a cakewalk.

Insta Handle: malvikasitlaniofficial

Down below are listed 3 videos of her youtube channel where you can learn the basic makeup tips. It helped me with the basics, so just go for them.

Class 1 – HOW TO GET THE PERFECT BASE | For beginners | Malvika Sitlani

Class 2 – How to Contour, Blush & Highlight | For Beginners | Malvika Sitlani

Class 3 – EYEBROWS & EYESHADOW | For beginners | Malvika Sitlani

About Madhuparna Kar

A techie by profession, Madhuparna Kar is a fashion enthusiast. She lives in Kolkata with her cute little six-year-old son and hubby. She not only enjoys dressing up but also has loads of useful tricks and tips in her kitty. Besides taking care of her external beauty, she’s a fitness freak. Check out her Insta handle @madhuparna4u, for some fitness and makeup tips.

Disclaimer: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a small commission if you purchase products via our website. Your purchases support us in bringing you informative and fun-filled articles.

The post Making Yourself Up With Some Useful Makeup Tips appeared first on KolkataFusion.

A few months ago, an event was organized in the school where I work, wherein the students had to submit a rangoli design made on a piece of paper. Here in Bangalore, the pan-India background of the students is quite obvious. I was intrigued to see the regional touches in the Rangoli designs submitted.

Rangoli in West Bengal

In this pandemonium, my mind often races back to the happier times- to those of my childhood days.

As a young girl, I remember, the night prior to the Saraswati Puja, I was made to study for a couple of hours extra as the books would be resting at the deity’s feet for the next two days.

So, right after dinner, my mother would tuck her pallu in her waist and make me a loose batter made up of ‘Atop chaal’ ( refined rice)  and water. She would then give me a piece of clean cloth, and with a twinkle in her eyes, she would say, “Go, now make something beautiful!” I would then sit and make the rangoli (or “Alpona,” as we call it in Bengali). Often this would continue till midnight. I would be accompanied by my Thamma, who would lie on the cot right next to me and narrate the stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata while I worked. Amidst the quietness of the night, she hummed through and the room would turn into a magical place with her vivid descriptions.

Also Read: The scroll painters of Naya – the village of myths and lores

Rangoli in South India

A few years later, when I was in college, I happened to visit Kerala and Kanyakumari for college excursions. The train was late, we reached the hotel at the crack of dawn. While on the way to the hotel, my curiosity was aroused again when I noticed ladies making rangolis at their thresholds. It was not wet; on the contrary, they were using some kind of a white powder. The rangolis looked very different too. There were no floral patterns, but an intricate pattern of dots and lines. The receptionist later explained that these were traditionally called Kolam in Tamil Nadu and Muggulu Rangoli in Andhra Pradesh. Rice flour was used to make these so that the ants and the birds didn’t have to go elsewhere looking for food. I was fascinated!

Kolams are still made at the thresholds of houses after the floor is wet wiped. In rural areas, much like that in Bengal, the floor is first smeared with cowdung. It is believed to have antiseptic properties.

Across India, special occasions are celebrated by laying down beautiful and colourful rangolis. In Bengal, we call it Alpona. It is called Aripana in Bihar, Kolam in Tamil Nadu, Muggulu rangoli in Andhra, Chouk Purna in Chattisgarh, Joti in Odhisha and so on.

But how did it all start?

To assign this practice to the recent past would be an anachronism. There are myriad stories and anecdotes to support the creation of such rangolis.

Thamma once told me that the first Rangoli ever was made by Lopamudra, the wife of Agastya Muni. She wanted to help her husband in his daily rituals and decided to decorate the Yajnakunda. So, she invoked all the five elements from nature and, therefore, derived red colour from the fire, white from the wind, black from the soil, green from the water and blue from the sky. That’s how the first-ever rangoli was created.

One more story from Mithila, Bihar, mentions that King Dhrupad was ecstatic when Ram wed Sita and commanded the royal servants to decorate the whole palace with ‘Aripanas.’

Another story from Southern India mentions how the Gopis drew kolams to drown their sorrows when Lord Krishna left Vrindavan.

Some of the common motifs used in such rangolis are also very riveting. Considering the fact that during ancient times, the means of communication were very limited. Yet, there were many similarities in the Vedic symbols used in the designs pan India.

Such designs became absorbed into tribal households as well. One could find evidence of these symbols on the walls of the mud houses in many tribal villages across the country as well.

The practice of drawing threshold rangolis resonates with the idea of “Vasudaiva Kutumbakam”- the entire universe is a single family. The designs are primarily symmetrical, which portrays the idea of Shiva and Shakti and idealizes universal balance. Rangolis are made to drive away evil spirits and channelize positive energy to promote a sense of unity and peace.

I genuinely feel that we all should realize the significance of these traditional practices. And arise from “me and you” to “us.”

Trivia

In several Asian cultures, we find a prevalent spiritual symbol called ‘Mandala.’ It is also found in several monasteries in Sikkim. Mandala directly translates in Sanskrit to a round object. It is believed that as one progresses from the outer core of the mandala towards the centre, all his sufferings transform into joy.

About Ria S. Mazumdar

Based in Bangalore, Ria is an educator by profession, artist and singer by passion. A true Bong at heart- that kind of a person who would choose fuchka over panipuri, polau over biryani and ‘mamlet’ over “omlette”!

The post History and Significance of Rangoli appeared first on KolkataFusion.

বাবা, মা আর বোনের সাথে আমি ২০১৯ সালের ডিসেম্বর মাসে কাজিরাঙ্গা ন্যাশনাল পার্ক ঘুরতে গিয়েছিলাম। আমার বন্ধু রংমন গৌহাটি তে থাকে। আমরা ওদের সঙ্গে গিয়েছিলাম।

প্রথম দিন আমরা জিপে করে জন্তু দেখতে গেলাম। সেখানে আমরা অনেক বাঁদর, এক খড়্গের গন্ডার, হাতি, বুনো মোষ, হরিণ, জেব্রা আর অনেক সুন্দর পাখি দেখলাম। সেদিন খুব মজা হয়েছিল। একটা কালো বুনো মোষ আমাদের জিপের সামনে দৌড়ে রাস্তা পেরোলো। ‌ আমরা সবাই খুব ভয় পেয়ে গেলাম। পরের দিন সক্কাল বেলা আমরা এলিফ্যান্ট সাফারিতে গেলাম। আমি এমন সাফারি প্রথমবার করলাম – তাই খুব মজা লাগল। হাতির পিঠে করে আমরা জঙ্গলের ভিতরে গেলাম।

ওখানে একটা গন্ডার ছিল- সাথে ছিলো ওর ছোট বাচ্চা। আমি মাকে বললাম বাচ্চা গন্ডারটাকে ট্রলিতে ভরে বাড়ি নিয়ে যেতে। আমরা একটা মা হরিণকে দেখলাম শুয়ে থাকতে, মনে হলো ওর বাচ্চা হবে। অনেক কচ্ছপ দেখলাম নদীর ধারে রোদ পোয়াচ্ছে। আমি ওখানে একটা সবুজ বড় কুমিরও ছিল। শীতকাল বলে আমরা অনেক পরিযায়ী পাখি দেখতে পেলাম। একটা কাঠঠোকরা ছিল। একটা বড় রঙিন ধনেশ পাখি গাছের ফল খাচ্ছিল। আমরা ওটার অনেক ছবি তুলেছি।

For more stories by kids in both English and Bangla, click here.

কাজিরাঙ্গা থেকে ফেরার আগে আমরা হাতি, গন্ডার, কচ্ছপ ইত্যাদির পুতুল কিনে এনেছি। কাজিরাঙ্গার কথা আমি কখনো ভুলবনা।

কোথাই থাকবেন আর কি করবেন জানার জন্য: Kaziranga National Park, Assam.

Archisha Bhattacharya

অর্চিষা ভট্টাচার্য্য আইআইটি কানপুরের প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয়, ক্যাম্পাস স্কুলের চতুর্থ শ্রেণীর ছাত্রী। অবশর সময়ে, আঁকতে এবং বই পরতে প্রচণ্ড ভালবাসে। অর্চিষা নাচ ও শেখে – অবশ্য সেটা আপাতত বন্ধ আছে COVID-19 এর জন্য ।

The post আমার কাজিরাঙ্গা সফর appeared first on KolkataFusion.

Though Earth’s age is more than 4.5 billion years, we started celebrating its birthday just a few decades back. It was a conscientious effort to make the inhabitants of this Earth, that’s us, aware about her natural bounty and beauty. The Earth Day pledges to keep the planet beautiful, as it was, when it was formed.

Before we share the poem, a brief history

US Senator from Wisconsin, Gaylord Nelson with 20 million American families had first celebrated Earth Day on April 22, 1970. They took to the streets to raise environmental awareness among people. In 2016, the event got acceptance by many other countries and it’s a world event celebrated on April 22, every year.

Earth Day 2021 Theme

The theme of Earth Day 2021 is Restore Our Earth. The focus is primarily on examining natural processes, finding out new green technologies and innovative ways to restore the world’s ecosystems

To know more, read Forbes’ article.

Happy Earth Day

-Diptanu Chakraborty

Click for more article by our Kid bloggers.

The post Happy Earth Day 2021 appeared first on KolkataFusion.

I am The Black Diamond Express. I am a superfast weekly express from Howrah station Kolkata in West Bengal to Dhanbad. My inaugural run was on 1^st July 2013. I am Coalfield express’s sibling as we both have the same loco WAP 7 of Howrah electric loco shed. We both travel from Howrah to Dhanbad. Being a daily train, I am busy as I have to take the passengers back to their homes and on their journeys every day. I love children a lot – and they love me so much.

Enters Coronavirus

One day I heard the driver was talking to a person about a lockdown. Some virus named Coronavirus had come from China. People were dying, so lockdown was started. I was shed with all my friends like Coalfield, Jan Shatabdi, Poorva, Shatabdi, Duronto and Rajdhani. The driver patted me and said that we need to be safe or else we will fall sick, so all trains were closed. I felt very sad and was crying. I was missing the driver, all the children and also the passengers. I was also missing the outside view of Nature like green trees, crops, the rivers flowing under the bridge. Seeing me so sad Coalfield said ‘Knedona knedona…sob kichu thik hobe…amar babula’. (Don’t cry, everything will be fine).

I was in the shed for a long time, missing all the good golden memories I had while I travelled. I remembered women carrying babies in their laps, the first journey of children. And I also often thought of a small child named Roopo, who really loved me and used to travel from Asansol to Howrah. Roopo always said hello to me, waving his hand, and shared his stories and songs with me.

While we were in the shed, Shatabdi was called for his special duty. So, I called cousin WAP 5 to take Shatabdi and make children happy and help the passengers. I felt gloomy and thought, ‘When will my turn come?’ Before leaving, Shatabdi gave me a peck on the cheek. Some trains were released.

Finally….

One day, on 12^th February, my ‘annaprasan’ started. I got new coaches. I was thrilled and on the 13^th, I was released to do my special duty. All the children were happy. I was the Howrah Dhanbad Special train who wanted to give happy memories. When I went out on the tracks, I felt so glad as I finally got the fresh air of Nature. I looked around and saw trees dancing with happiness, rivers clapping, clouds were crying with joy and all the plants were hugging. The passengers again started travelling. They were all wearing masks. They were happy to see me. All the kids were proud to see me because I was back. All the compartments were back. The AC compartments made me chilly while the sweet breezes from the Non-AC Compartments uplifted my mood.

Click to Read More Stories By Our Young Writers.

I am looking forward to seeing Roopo travel in my coaches again. I love that child Roopo and he too loves me. The Boy Roopo Visited Me & spoke to the engine driver and I felt happy. I want to continue my journey and make everyone happy again.

By and lots of love,

Black Diamond Express

About Diptanu Chakraborty

Diptanu Chakraborty, currently studying at standard 7 at The Cambridge School, has started his storytelling journey when he was only 4.5 yrs. His mum was the sole listener to his 4 line stories. He is fascinated with dragons, dinosaurs, volcanoes, trains and interprets the world in his own creative way with vivid descriptions. Seeing the usual stuffs in an unusual way~  may be the most important virtue of any writer and Diptanu is blessed with it. He also tends to bring in elements he is scared of like lightning, cockroach, airplanes and deals with them in a fun manner in his stories. And, if you have ever known that High Functioning Autistic children have communication problems then his stories will make you rethink!
So, let’s explore Diptanu’s world of imagination!

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this post are the personal views of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of www.kolkatafusion.com. Any omissions or errors are the author’s and KolkataFusion does not assume any liability or responsibility for them.

The post An Autobiography of Black Diamond Express appeared first on KolkataFusion.

৩৬৫দিন পার করে আমরা এক নতুন বছরে পা রাখি যা বাঙ্গালীদের কাছে নববর্ষ নামে পরিচিত। এখন আমরা সবাই ইংলিশ ক্যালেন্ডারই বেশি ব্যবহার করি প্রতিদিনের চলার পথে ,বাংলায় কোন মাস ,কত তারিখ চলছে কেউ জিজ্ঞাসা করলে  আমাদের ভ্যাবাচ্যাকা খাওয়ার মতো অবস্থা হয়ে ওঠে। যাই হোক, উৎসব পালনে বাঙালিদের জুড়ি মেলা দুঃসহ ব্যাপার।কথায় আছে বাঙ্গালীদের ১২মাসে ১৩পার্বন।বাঙ্গালীদের প্রতিটি উৎসবে রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুরের অবদান অনস্বীকার্য।রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুরের লেখা নানা গান ,কবিতা, আমাদের উৎসবের কথা মনে করিয়ে দেয়।

কিছু দিন আগেই গেল বসন্ত উৎসব।যেমন – “রাঙিয়ে দিয়ে যাও যাও…যাও গো এবার যাওয়ার আগে রাঙিয়ে দিয়ে যাও” গানটিতে ফুটেই উঠেছে বসন্ত উৎসব এর কথা। আবার বৈশাখ কে আহ্বান জানিয়েছেন, “এসো হে বৈশাখ ..এসো এসো” গানের কথাগুলো দিয়ে। নববর্ষের সকাল এই গানটা ছাড়া বেমানান। এই গানটিতে কবি বলেছেন পুরোনো কে ভুলে নতুনকে আহ্বান করার কথা। চেয়েছেন এই ধরিত্রী আবার নতুন আশায় পূর্ণ হয়ে উঠুক বৈশাখের উষ্ণ তাপপ্রবাহে।

“……মুছে যাক গ্লানি, ঘুচে যাক জরা

অগ্নিস্নানে শুচি হোক ধরা…”

পয়লা বৈশাখে, আমাদের নববর্ষের দিনে, সবাই নতুন জামা পরি,আর বিভিন্ন রকমের খাঁটি বাঙ্গালী খাবারের পদ খেয়ে দিনটি উৎযাপন করি। আমি ছোট্ট বেলা থেকে আমার বাবা-মায়ের কাছে শুনে এসেছি সবাইকে শুভ নববর্ষ বলে এই দিন বড়দের পায়ে হাত দিয়ে প্রণাম করে আশীর্বাদ নিতে হয়। আর এটাও দেখে এসেছি যে দাদু-ঠাকুমার সমাধিতে একটা করে ছোট্ট হাঁড়ি বেঁধে ,হাঁড়িটার তলায় একটা ছোট্ট ফুটো করে দিয়ে ওনাদের সমাধিতে জল ঢালা হয় গোটা বৈশাখ মাস ধরে। দোকানে দোকানে হালখাতা হয়। শরবত, মিষ্টির এলাহি বিতরণ। ছোটবেলায় দুষ্টুমি করে ঐ দিনই বেশি করে দোকানে দোকানে যেতাম মিষ্টি খেতে।

নববর্ষ পড়ার কয়েক মাস আগের থেকেই বাজারে শোনা যায়, “সেল …সেল..চৈত্র সেল শুরু হয়ে গেছে।“ দোকানে পা রাখার মতো জায়গা থাকে না এতো ভীড় হয়। গত বছর থেকে অবশ্য করোনা অতিমারীতে আমাদের জীবনযাত্রা বিপর্যস্ত। চৈত্র সেলের আনন্দ বেশ কিছুটা ম্লান। এ বছরে অবশ্য ভ্যাক্সিন এসেছে। আশা করি এবার ভ্যাক্সিন এসে যাওয়ায় নববর্ষের আনন্দে ভাঁটা পড়বে না।

The post বাঙ্গালীর নববর্ষ appeared first on KolkataFusion.

-Guest Post

With technological advancement and artificial intelligence, we are now in a threshold of the concept of IoT or the Internet of Things. Our guest blogger, as well as our website developer, Sayantan Basu Mallick, explains his project using Arduino technology.

To contact him or to know more about his work, leave your message in the comment box.

What is IoT?

The IoT refers to devices’ connection (other than typical fares such as computers and smartphones) to the Internet without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. The interconnection using the Internet of computing devices is embedded in everyday objects, enabling them to send and receive data.

Organizations have to find out a way to store, track and analyze vast amounts of data generated every moment, or else it’s all in vain.

So, what is the use of IoT?

Let’s see the implications of IoT here. Imagine a smart car and a smart city grid start talking to each other! It means traffic flow optimization because instead of just having stoplights on fixed timers, we’ll have smart stoplights responding to traffic flow changes. Drives can get informed about traffic and street conditions and reroute around congested or blocked areas.

We have sensors keeping an eye on and tracking all sorts of data. The cloud-based apps translate that data into valuable intelligence and pass it on to machines on the ground, enabling flexible and real-time responses. And thus, we see smart bridges, smart cars.

How does the Internet of Things function?

A sensor is not a machine. It doesn’t do anything in the same sense that a device does. It gathers, gauges, and evaluates data. The Internet of Things comes together with the connection of sensors and machines. So, we can say the actual value that the Internet of Things generates is at the intersection of gathering data and leveraging it. All the information collected by all the world sensors isn’t worth very much if there isn’t an infrastructure to analyze it in real-time.

Using Internet transfer protocols, IoT devices connect with each other and transmit information. So, the Internet of Things serves as the bridge between the devices’ sensors and the data networks.

Some of the top IoT platforms on the market today:

Amazon Web Services

Microsoft Azure

ThingWorx IoT Platforms

Watson

Cisco IoT Cloud ConnectSalesforce IoT Cloud

Oracle Integrated Cloud

GE Predix

Without cloud-based applications to interpret and transfer data acquired from all sensors, the Internet of Things cannot function. Cloud computing makes the apps work for you anytime, anywhere app.

IoT in everyday things

At Home

IoT can help in building an efficient house, programmed to save energy and make your lives more convenient. Imagine alarm clocks synced with traffic apps; heating systems with external temperature sensors – all will add up to your cost benefits.

Radical effect on waste management

You can save on utility bills with the seamless integration of light, heat, and air conditioning that reacts. You can understand your food consumption pattern and plan accordingly. How? Anything that your keep in your fridge for long will be recorded, helping you examine the trends and patterns.

Daily commutation

When intelligent traffic detectors inform us of the route, we can select the shortest route to work/ home and so on. To keep us safe, sensors around our city can alert us of any potential dangers, like accidents, proximity alerts around the vehicle, terrible weather, etc.

For personal health

A long list of wearables is now available in the market. We can track a lot about ourselves like our sleeping patterns, nutritional balance, doctor’s appointments, check-up schedules, exercise programmes, etc. Furthermore, 3d-printed wristbands for reading vital signs are in development.

In sport

The Internet of Things devices and wearables will be all about performance efficiency. Using these hands-free devices, you can track your progress, errors, power, agility, overall cardiovascular fitness level and any other variable that you can think of.

The above examples speak volumes about the Internet of Things’ potentials. The more creative we can be with sensors, the more valuable the information it will provide us. If trends in development are anything to go by, then just wait, as the best is yet to come!

We are still at the nascent stage of the transformational journey. But, very soon, every device that you own and nearly every gadget you can see will be connected to the Internet. Be it through your mobile, wearable devices, or household objects; the IoT will connect us in ways we yet to find out.

Better management of energy, water, transportation, and safety will bring us closer to our surroundings and capture our imaginations for urban bliss – a fully integrated, smart, sustainable city.

Challenges of the Internet of Things

If one thing that can come in the way of the Internet of things from transforming our way of living and working, it is a threat to security.

While the IoT opens up the doors to endless opportunities, it certainly doesn’t come without challenges. But, don’t you think it depends on us? Only time will say how we use it for the betterment of mankind!

Now Let Us Understand Arduino and see Sayantan’s Project

About Arduino technology

Arduino is an open-source electronic platform to build electronic projects for our daily life like smart homes, smart drawers, smart soap dispensers, etc. Also, you can build smart toys for you kids and help to build toys like self-driven, obstacle sensing car.

Things used to make an Arduino Car

Arduino UNO

Arduino Uno Rev3 is a microcontroller board based on the ATmega328P, an 8-bit microcontroller with 32KB of Flash memory and 2KB of RAM. It has all that you need to support the microcontroller; just connect it to a computer or laptop with a USB cable or power it with a AC-to-DC adapter or battery and it’ll start.

L298 2A Dual Motor Driver Module with PWM Control 

The Motor Shield is a driver module for motors. It helps you to use Arduino to control the motor’s speed and direction. Based on the Dual Full-Bridge Drive Chip L298, it can drive two DC motors or a step motor.

Ultrasonic Distance Sensor Module – HC-SR04    

Just like bats, the HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensor uses SONAR to ascertain the distance of an object. It offers great non-contact range detection with precise accuracy and steady readings in an easy-to-use package starting from 2 to 400 cm or 1 to 13 feet.

Servo Motor

A Servo Motor is a small device with an output shaft that can be placed at specific angular points by sending the servo a coded signal. As long as the coded signal lives on the input line, the servo will maintain the angular position of the shaft.           

DC Motors 4 pcs       

You can control a DC motor by attaching a L298 bridge IC to an Arduino. And a direct current (DC) motor is the most common type of motor. If you want to control the direction in which the DC motor spins without affecting the way that the leads are connected, you can use a circuit called an H-Bridge.     

Breadboard, Battery, power bank some jumper wires

About Sayantan Basu Mallick

Sayantan is an IT enthusiast by passion and profession. He loves to do Computer Programming building new automated projects. His thirst for learning new solutions is never-ending. He also has a keen interest in photography and music. So, if you want to know more about him, click here.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this post are the personal views of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of www.kolkatafusion.com. Any omissions or errors are the author’s and KolkataFusion does not assume any liability or responsibility for them.

The post Internet of Things Application on Arduino Projects appeared first on KolkataFusion.