Celebrating Shubho Naba Barsho (Happy Bengali New Year) with Strawberry Mango Lassi

Dear Friends, on this auspicious occasion of Bengali New year, I would like to share few of my childhood memories which are engraved in my heart so deeply that every year on this very day I feel profoundly nostalgic and sad to get those days back.

I always felt exceedingly blessed when I thought that I had completed my education from Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan, a place founded by Rabindranath Tagore. The natural beauty of the place infuses its elegance through the mode of education. The freedom of creativity and ideas always evince through the various festivals celebrated on the auspicious occasions of special calendar events. During my school days this Bengali New Year celebration used to start a week back. Those days are crystal clear to me. I can still visualise the little girl holding her mother’s or father’s hand heading towards the crafts shop to buy a bunch of white blank cards with full of excitement. The next few days passed within a fraction of moment with full concentration on filling the blank cards with all those imaginary creative mentation. In our school the best part of Naba Barsho (New Year in bengali) celebration is the exchange of these self-created cards. Each and every student used to create cards by his/her own hand and would gift it to his/her friends or would make friends by exchanging the cards. The new day becomes emblematic for inviting new friends, divulging one’s talent through the cards and a learning process of acculturation. Now coming at this age I realise the hidden truth of the festivity. But then that was only a satiated fun to amplify the friends’ group and also an exhibition of talents. Self-written short poems used to be scripted in the cards too.

Another fun of this day was to stand in a long queue in the scorching heat only to get a Kachori and two sweets. In our school premise this snack used to be distributed to the students on this day. These most common bites used to become too tasty and sumptuous only on this very day. Now I am never going to get back those days, the tastes. Only what I have the fragrance of the sweet retention and an urge to make alive few of those memories through my daughter. My father has few of those New Year cards made by my sister and me in his collection. Sometime I will surely share those with you all.

On this festive occasion let me give all my friends a treat with a very simple, common and refreshing drink- Mango Lassi with strawberries. I will be sending this refreshment to Indrani’s "Summer foods & drinks" event.

Ingredients:-

Mango Pulp-1 cup

Yoghurt-1/2 cup

Cold Water- ½ cup

Sugar 4tbsp

Chopped Strawberries- ½ cup
Chocolate syrup and Chocolate pop sticks to decorate

Method:-

Mix Mango pulp, yoghurt, sugar and water nicely. Pour in strips the chocolate syrup by the side of the Serving Glass. Place the chopped strawberries in the bottom of the glass. Pour the Mango lassi in it and serve with chocolate pop sticks. You can also add chopped nut and pudina /mint leaves instead of strawberry and chocolate pop sticks.

At end I would like to apologise for the inconvenience you all faced for the non-published post Chicken Biriyani. I was preparing a draft for the post and mistakenly published it instead of saving it. Once again I am sorry for the botheration.