Good bye Boston.

Good bye Boston.... we are flying India back today evening. We will reach Kolkata on 17th August at 11-10  P.M.
Weather report ....... it is cloudy here and rainfall is likely even. Kolkata's weather is worse..... I gather that it rained there last few days & weather will not improve soon.
While leaving this city, I am carrying good memories and good feelings. So far, the sources of my knowledge in r/o USA and this city had been a few books, Atlas, the experience of  my seniors in Merchant Navy, the literature of  the famous poets and writers of USA like Edgar Allan Poe, Nathniel Hawthorne, Washington Arvin,  Herman Melville,  Stephane Crane, Howard Fast, Pearl S. Buck, William Faulkner ,  Ernest Hemingway, Robert  Frost and many others ------their poetry and writings, Hollywood films ......their Actors and Directors.......the history books of American Independence and the Civil war........the writings of Swami Vivekananda and  his disciples ....the books on Swamiji....his life & experience in USA.......in Boston; but, at least now  I  have been able to gather some practical knowledge about the same country and the city of Boston, though meagre....  it  enriched my outlook and knowledge. So, thanks to all and good bye.
Time & tide, they say, wait for none......... still  if   I have time, may be a few pages more would be added to my book of such practical knowledge.

The penultimate day in Boston.

Today (15th August here) is our penultimate day of staying in Boston, USA. We are therefore packing up & weighing the luggages.
Weather here:---- It is still raining here from yesterday.  As per weather forecast, it won't be fair weather tomorrow even. In Kol., as we gather reports...... there had been much rainfall since last few days & the weather is not yet clear.
As regards our stay here in Boston....... I must say that the stay had been v v good in all respects. Yash & Runi looked into everything we might be needing and  we enjoyed our trips to various places thoroughly,  e.g  trips to New York, The Thousand Island Park,  Acadia National Park, Maine, Rye & Hampton beach and  several other places........along with them. The weathergods were kind to us  &  while travelling, we  experienced  but little or no  rainfall.
In Boston, we went to shopping centers and market places and  saw tit-bits of  business, marketing. The MBTA & the  Subway trains are wonderful in Boston----- we also had  a  Bus ride  (Up & down) once & liked the same.
The places of interest here like the  Museum of Science, the Natural History Museum, The  Boston  Public  Library  and  the Brookline Public Library (A branch), the Boston Common, the Prudential  Tower, the Hancock tower and  the  Harvard University bldgs. inclusive of  Harvard Medical School &  Dana- Farber Cancer Instt., the MIT bldgs. etc. ----- they  all provided us change of vision & mind.
Abou khana-pina...... though Indian vegetables and fish also were avlble. here, and Bou-di was never tired of cooking dishes........still, we tasted some other dishes also which provided us some diversion of culinary taste.
The city of  Boston itself is a nice city with a rich  & cultural heritage of its own and  epitomises freedom of speech and  thinking,   and also,  side by side, unfolds  in itself,  to become  a great  seat of  education and research,  day by day.
Anyway, we are now bound for home and  watching the Nature outside as it is raining more or less heavily.

Independence day, remembering India, Kolkata.

Yesterday night Dada, Bou-di & myself went to see the working places of  Yash and Runi i.e Harvard  Medical School, New Research Building & Dana- Farber Cancer Institute respectively, located in Longwood area.
Previously, we saw these buildings from outside; but, now we got the opportunity of seeing the same from within also. Our car was parked in the basement parking area & we were then elevated to Yash's place of work in Harvard Medical  School, New  Research Bldg........ we saw Yash's  lab......his desk & his other areas of work.......he gave us a  plain  description of  his job........ full of complexities though, still we listened to him all the while  &  tried to grasp his motto of research  aided by the wonderful facilities the  Harvard university  had to offer, to a   Postdoc  researcher.
We met  a few other researchers also there who were cordial and  polite enough to greet us & we reciprocated.   I was simply baffled  by  guessing the vastness of  the research that  might be going here for  years together,  in the development of medical science & the researchers' contribution to humanity.
The bldg. inside  & outside were simply marvellous.......... the  high glass walls of the building which reflected the  blue of the sky in the daytime & looked wonderful in the night also----------- it was kind of  an engineering wonder--------- many snapshots were taken by  the trio of  Yash, Runi & Dada.
Next, we moved to Dana- Farber Cancer Instt. where Runi works, as a Postdoc researcher;  we saw  her lab, her areas  of work, the conference room & a few other parts of the Hospital.  I liked her spirit of  work, punctuality & devotion to work. Next we saw the old  Cancer Hospital bldg. I shd add here that Runi's lab is not far from  Yash's lab.
I was sorry to remember that hospitals in our country did not always mean health & hygiene, as it shd be ideally........while here, people get healing touches & care also  & are never low in spirit to come to the hospital for treatment and recovery.
We also saw Brigham & Women's Hospital, Children's Hospital & Beth Israel  Deconess  Medical  Center ............all these are known names to me by now.

Today is 14th  August & a  Sunday &  Indian Independence day  is, therefore being celebrated here today at Storrow drive,  in a Park by the side of the  Charles River.
All of us decided to go there and see some of the celebrations there in the afternoon  & accordingly we went there inspite of the fact that it was raining here from the morning.........almost.   The flag hoisting  ceremony  and the celebrations started from 9 A.M  & a lot of people.......Indians mostly.......... were there,  I learnt later that many volunteers were there from 9 A.M & helped organise the function braving the rain. Among the guests was Victor Banerjee ----- a well-known filmstar of Kolkata who was known in USA also,  bec. of  the David Lynn Film  'A passage to India' in which he starred. I also learnt that Bengali songs were sung in the 1st part of the celebrations which we missed.
We saw and listened to Kawwali performances, Bhangra dances with Punjabi songs plus Marathi songs etc.-----the rain almost stopped and gradually stopped totally. The crowd enjoyed thoroughly the performances and the youth present there danced to their favourite tunes a no. of times. The crowd was quite big when we joined there. A no. of  food-stalls was there and we had Pani Poories, known as Phuchkas in Kolkata. Runi and Yash met some of their friends there. Among them a few were even known to Dada & Boudi. I would mention here the names of   Prashant & Akashi who came to our house earlier. Also I would like to mention here the names of Shovan and his wife (name I don't know) who were friends of  Yash/Runi  in Madurai. Forest Rangers were in charge of the Park where the celebration was going and they were seen present all throughout in the Park-area.. Also, Police were present in order to maintain the traffic & contain things, if necessary. The whole function was organised by the  IAGB i.e the India  Association of Greater Boston. I came to know that it is the 50th yr. of  celebration by them and they were committed to organising a year-long process of celebrations and  arranging of  medical camps plus Yoga camps, as a mark of their 50th year. We received souvenirs which contained  Proclamation by the Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, urging citizens of the Commonwealth  to take cognizance of this event & participate fittingly in its observance. Freedom of  speech & freedom of  cultural activities .........that was how  I  felt in reading the said souvenir & witnessing the part of the celebrations plus being a part of the same.
We came home at about 9 P.M.  Dada, myself, Yash and Runi .........played cards for some time before dinner. Yash and Runi had already eaten Dosa, chat etc. in the stalls mentioned herein earlier & they did not eat anything more.

The tacts of a cat

 I am somewhat troubled by virus problems in the laptop.
Today, Yash had to go to his lab.  Rest of us went to  1. Target  (Watertown mall) &  2. Marshall  (Arsenal mall)  to avail ourselves of the tax-free offer  (Sales tax) on 13th-14th August.
A few purchases were made in these two shopping malls.
I blogged about a cat in my yesterday's writing, my readers may remember.  The cat fled, so to say & we did not know where it might go. Anyway, it was amazing when the same cat returned and mewed at our door a number of times yesterday night.  This time she had a tag around the neck:----Name:    Isabelle.  Address:  I am not mentioning......  a near-by addss.
Initially, we could not guess wherefrom this mewing of a cat was being heard; but, were alarmed really when there was a sort of  knocking on our door........ the cat was using her body & legs in trying to push the door open. It was really really amazing. Here  there  was a cat which had a few tacts as to how to enter into a house that is closed.
On opening of the door, she came in and  seemed to know the house. She even lied in the floor for some time and was quite comfortable there.
Dada commented......." The cat is not ungrateful. She has come to pay us a  return visit".
Anyhow, the cat was thereafter called outside & playfully, she vanished behind our house.

It is about 6 P.M now and  we may go out, situation permitting.

A cat in & out ........may be out & in also.

Yesterday night Yash found a homeless cat.........apparently out of  its own house, we don't know whether it belonged to our neighbourhood or not. Yash was sorry for its condition  ..... no food, no home, none to look after.......... he talked to Runi  & brought it home.  Food was served to the cat...after initial hesitation, he or she ...whatever it was........devoured all that was given. Runi & Yash rang up the society for animal shelter who advised them to look in the neighbourhood next morning. Runi remembered that she saw an appeal in the near-by Beaconsfield MBTA Stn. about a lost cat. Though it was 11 P.M, they went there & understood that this cat was not the same as that one...I mean the one about which the appeal was made.
Hence, they came home back & decided to contact the society again in the morning. The cat was a very quiet one & mewed only once and moved about in the house of ours,  from one place to another, trying to understand the situation perhaps. After some restlessness , the cat sleeped without any further  complication in the house.
In the morning, however, it showed no signs of hunger or thirst and Yash took it outdoor,  for some 20 mins. or so.
When locked in our house again, the cat at first had some breakfast; but, later became quite restless to get out. It went to the windows  as well as the entrance door several times indicating, by mewing repeatedly,  that it did not like being in the house. Its restlessness compelled Yash and Runi to take a decision to let it go.
Hence, it was in our house and out  by now. Reportedly  (reporter.... Runi), the cat, on being set free,  ran in a direction apparently quite familiar to it & was out of sight in the twinkling of an eye.  May be  that  it was out from  its  own house  & also it  may be that the cat is in its house by now. End of the episode with the fleeing of the cat.
In our lunch, a new item was added.....i.e fried rice prepared by Runi. Other items like rice, daal, sabji, alur dam , tomator chutney were prepared by  Bou-di, as usual.    Runi rose to heights and succeded in cooking this item ........Bou-di was at her very best & we ate the meal heartily.
In the afternoon we all went to Russo's shopping center for buying vegetbles etc. and next went to the Wholesale Club of  BJ's.   In the end, we all went to Patel's for the same purpose...........that  is  the shopping center run by  an Indian ownership  & the same broadly  caters to the  demands  of  Indian customers.  About these  markets I have already written in many of my earlier blogs.

Royal Bengal where we ate.

   ROYAL  BENGAL.......Believe it or not------ that was Royal  Bengal which did not eat.......instead, we ate there  for our lunch.
I heard of the Indian eaterie earlier  from Runi, Yash, Debasree and her father also  & the  latter i.e  Debasree's father insisted us to eat there at least once. He seemingly held high opinion of  its Indian and specially Bengali dishes. Runi & Yash also went there sometime before & tasted some of the  dishes........they also liked its North Indian &  Beng. Khana. Naturally, I was influenced  by the general agreement of opinion  & wanted to go there once for tasting Bengali Khana.
Today,   Runi planned  (with Yash of course) to go to Royal Bengal which is in the Cambridge area........for lunch. So, after breakfast, all of us moved  to Massachusetts Ave., where the eaterie is located .......via a C-line train & next, a red-line train.
It is managed by a Bengalee lady  (I am not sure whether she has some other relatives there to lend her support in running the business or not)......... we  listened to Bengali songs within and also found photographs of  Royal Bengal Tigers decorating the interior of the shop. In short, the atmosphere was sort of friendly to Indians and more so to Bengalees. However, the menu was somewhat cosmopolitan, and North Indian dishes plus Sea-food also were there in the same.
Dada, Bou-di and myself  had for lunch :---  Rice (Bhat), Chholar daal  (slightly misti) with green chilli, Mochar ghanto with shrimp (chingri), Sorshe-illish  (hilsha fish with mustard).
It was real  good khana &  dada  ate more than his usual quota .
Yash & Runi preferred buffet which had chicken Tikka, Nan, Fulgobi, mitahi etc.
The  lady owner of  Royal Bengal was naturally curious to know how much  we all relished  her dishes & we atonce approved   the same---- much to her liking. . She later talked to us for quite some time. She collected  minimum information about us & told about herself also at the same time. We bought 2 Misti Masala Pan also from her.
We learnt that khana was  served by this shop for various occasions &  were glad to see her doing some business, though not on a very large-scale, here in Boston.
Out in the street, Yash told us to walk in a different direction that led us to the  MIT (Massachusetts Instt. of Technology) bldgs. Many snapshots were taken. Next we crossed the Charles River bridge on foot........it would be a  very good memory indeed................the sailboats moving in the river, the motor boats anchored mostly, only one of them was seen to move in the river, the skyline of Cambridge on one side of the river & the same of  Boston on the other...........the fresh air of the River added to our energy & we walked rather briskly to reach the  Haynes station of the MBTA, wherefrom we availed ourselves of a  Green-line train bound for  Cleveland circle, our destination, however being  Dean Rd. Stn.

Cricinfo.com

  MS Dhoni was sort of bewildered with so many questions  (As Deep Dasgupta commented) e.g whether Virendra Sehbag is fit to play or not; whether he shd open or not; who shd replace  Harbhajan Singh and many other questions.
  Anyhow, I was interested  to know what happens in case Viru is in the team,  ( reference:  currently happening 3rd Test between India & Eng. at Birmingham) & it was still more interesting to see India batting first, as  the England Test captain  Andrew Strauss won the toss at Birmingham  (Edgbaston)
& chose to field.
  Now , Yash gave me a jolt when he told that Virendra  Sehwag got the  Golden Duck i.e he was out first ball to  Stuart Broad. The live broadcast came thru Cricinfo.com  in the Internet.
  Thus began our day.  However, Runi had already gone to her work and Yash was home. Dada & myself saw the cricket match (3rd Test) live  in Yash's PC, equipped with the new LED monitor. This display unit was quite big & effected fine resolution of picture........I already wrote about this one.
Next I was out in the street for my daily  walking exercise. It was about 11-10 A.M  & I was walking along Beacons Road
in the direction of  Coolidge Corner, when after some time I was alerted  by the very loud sirens of the Police cars, 2 in no, moving at a very high speed.  I crossed footpath with a view to walking  upto  Dean Rd. Stn.,  and  again saw a 3rd Police vehicle running very fast  in the same direction & alarming everybody   all the while.   What is all this about?........  I thought ....... what circumstances can  disturb the peace & tranquility of  our nice locality?? However, this did not bother me much & I kept the  thoughts  to myself only.
Later,  I  learnt that an incident of shooting occured  in Brighton in a housing for the elderly lower income group  of people as well  disabled persons and  the gunman was arrested eventually.
I  hope this is a rare happening & I  also hope this would not  create much wave in our life-styles.
After lunch, I found Runi e-mailing me to tell that she was taking  P/Os of all my blogs. Later, she gave me a present of  the same ........ almost in the form of a booklet........ a very good gift indeed.
Yash prepared a  chat in the evening............  I appreciate what is called   ' haatjash'  of  Yash. The word is a Bengali word & means the art of one's hand in preparing something or curing a disease, in a broader sense.
.

We are about to pack up.

One more week is in hand & we are about to pack up.  Today, there was a forecast for rain & so it happened .   Day's  temp. = 70 deg. F  = 21deg C.    Tomorrow, there may be isolated thunderstorms, as per weather forecast.
Runi had been to the lab & came home in the evening. Yash received a  home  delivery of a LED monitor for his Computer. It  was working perfectly, when tested, & the display was large & beautiful.  He also went to his lab &  came home early.
We are now weighing our suitcases. We are set to pack up.
From friends & relatives plus from Newspapers (Bengali), I came to know that there had been much rainfall in Kolkata for the last four days. The harrowing  experience of  a Chakra Rail  (the Circular Rlys.) commuters remaining stuck up for hrs. together, bec. of  waterlogging caught my attention. I saw photos in r/o the same. Now.....I learn that the  Chakra Rlys. authority have decided  not to run the Rlys. in the event of a heavy downpour.  I also learn that the rain has stopped, at least for the time being, in Kol.
The 22nd day of the  Beng. month Sravana i.e Baishe Shraban  which marks the day on which Rabindranath
( Rabi Thakur)  passed away has elapsed  already............I read the news in the Bengali newspapers.

Runi leads us to places.

It rained during the previous night & also, it rained  today occasionally. There was a  notice in the Condominium where we are staying that a Fire alarm testing & drill would happen between 11 A.M to 2 P.M. So, Runi suggested that we shd  go to Brookline Public Library, Coolidge corner branch  during that period of time so as to avoid the sirens which are loud and ear-splitting  even. Plus, one must be out in the open whenever the sirens are screaming, regardless of where one is at that point of time...... & this might  be telling upon us.
Runi had to go the lab; but, Yash agreed to stay with us & lead us to the said Public library.
So, brkfast over, all of us proceeded to Pleasant street near Coolidge Corner where the library is. There is a big collection of  books there to cater to the demands of the reader & we chose books of  our own interest.
Bou-di got a cooking book titled Bengali cooking by  Chitrita  Banerjee which held clues to  a variety of Bengali cuisines  vis a vis their origins i.e whether the particular recipe originated from East Bengal or west Bengal........... how the khichri  (hotch-potch) is associated with the monsoon ........ the  Hilsha fish of Padma, the same fish  of the river  Ganges................ the question of superiority  of the one over the other.............. the delicay of the Lau-chingri  for the Non-vegetarian   Bengalees or the veg. Lau ghanto for the stricter vegeterian persons & many other Bengale recipes......... I had a chance to have a look in the book & that's how I came to know about the contents of the book, at a glance.  Later, I learnt that Runi Knows about this book already & may be that she suggested the book for Bou-di to read & borrow.
I, somewhat blindly grasped a book on alternative medicine & became acquinted with the outlines of treatments like hypnotherapy, tai-chi and   Reiki, of course  (I know Reiki already) plus, homeopathy, ayurvedic, hath yog etc.Next, I read a book by Robert  M. Fegelson titled  Downtown---its rise & fall  1880--1950. This book dealt with the aspect of urbanisation of downtown Boston......... then & now.........
the Boston subways.... the tall, more than just tall and the skyscraper buildings in the downtown area.............. how they blocked the views of an onlooker,  how they  dwarfed the landmark buildings like the Trinity Church which were earlier held in high esteem on account of their architectural  grandeur.............. the  downtowns in the other cities like New York etc............their evolution with the passage of time..........it was nice reading. I also read  (partly,  of course) another book by William Ury........ I found dada  & Yash absorbed in their  own  books...........Bou-di sitting at a distant table with her cooking book about which I already referred  herein.
Then suddenly we heard  thundering of the clouds & it was raining outside................. after the rain stopped, it was about 1-20 P.M & we walked  out of the Library. our next destination was..........Trader's Joe, a big shop in Coolidge corner, (I understand that Runi guided Yash to get us there & pass more time and also get a few items for the dinner). Yash purchased a few items from here   (I guessed that he would grill lamb which was bought yesterday at Hanover, NH  and prepare  Berger also)   &  we reached home at 2-o-clock. We could not know whether or not the fire drill happened ...........anyhow, the lunch was soon ready for us:----
Bhat (Chawal), daal, Palak (Palang) saag with alu, Gati kachur tarkari, achar (pickles) and lemon.  Simply wonderful.
Runi came in the evening  & I was led by her to go to an outlet of the KFC  (Kentucky fried chicken) in  Allston which is near-by, in the car. I tasted some fried chicken ----Runi also did the same; but, she ate less, as Yash would grill the meat and prepare Berger also. By the way, I have given up eating mutton altogether &   that's why Runi wanted me to eat the KFC items. Also, I earlier talked to her about eating there or bringing home the fried chickens. The KFC fries were certainly  v v good to eat & Runi brought home a pack of the same , especially for me, for dinner. later, I ate the fried chicken-pieces to full satisfaction.
 Yash was now busy  grilling the meat and also went to prepare the Bergers. He seemed to know the art of grilling &  Runi also said to me that Yash cooks seldom; but, he is unbeatable when he cooks. It was corroborated by the fact that Dada went to the extent of over-eating, as was apparent.
Because  of  the KFC chickens.... I had to cut short my dinner tonight. Only 2 tablespoonfuls of rice  & some daal  & a little bit of palak saag............... I was now busy looking for  my  Pudin Hara (liquid)  ;, but, Runi suggested me to drink  Thums up  & I did  the same.

Jayati & Ramu pay us a hearty send-off.

Today, it is 7th Aug. & a Sunday. Jayati & Ramu with whom we interacted earlier at least twice & who live in Acton, came to our house, with their only son Suvam, for Tea & breakfast practically; but, as it rained heavily fm the previous night & the rain continued in the morning also, they came somewhat late  i. e  before 12-o-clock perhaps,  & attended to  what can be  termed a brunch. Menu: -----   Luchi, Alu-paraatha, alur tarkari, achar  (pickles), tomato chutney, payash.  To the menu was added   Chicken  Sik kebab (With S. African spices) plus Chicken Berger, both grilled by Ramu. The last item was invariably Ice cream. All these tasted v v good.
They sort of paid us a send-off & Ramu gifted  dada a best-seller book by  Nathaniel Philbrick  titled Mayflower. Many of the Indian readers are acquinted with the same, I suppose.
They had an invitation to attend, perhaps near Lexington  &  their stay here did not last long. Yet, we discussed many things in the short span of time  and they left us  at about 2-o-clock.
If everything goes ok, Jayati may go to  Tollygunge, Kudghat area soon,  in order to meet her parents . It may be remembered that her parents live in a house  near  our house. Hopefully, we will meet her there or in our house by that time. Ramu and his son may also  go there in some other month, as per feasibility of time &  a few other factors.
The incessant rain has marred the spirit of the day to some extent of course and we are stuck to our room and perhaps, wont make any movement outside.
Let's see.

Dartmouth College, New Hampshire.

   Yesterday, as  planned earlier,  we all started for New Hampshire in the morning, at about 7-30 A.M. Runi driving all the way from Brighton, Boston   to  New Hampshire with Yash assisting her with the GPS. New Hampshire offers a wonderful view of  trees standing tall in both sides of the National highway No 93 , wild flowers which blossomed on the road-side, the mountain ranges & the valleys, the picturesque houses visible when one draws near Lebanon, a city of the state of NH. The state of NH has a rich heritage......... its motto is......... Live free or die.n
Runi & Yash lived  there  in a house in Lebanon, while studying in  the College of  Dartmouth, for their Ph.D degree.
Our car moved there & we were glad to see the said house, presently under occupation of someone else.
After spending sometime there, we now moved towards Hanover along the same route which Yash and Runi used for many years to go to the college............ Runi & Yash  naturally seemed to be very much  nostalgic.
We saw the College area.......   bldgs. for  different departments...............Physics, Chemistry and many other streams  and Life Science of course . Runi & Yash studied in Bio-technology.  Runi's guide in Dartmouth College Thomas  Jack  responded to her  phone call and was soon available to show us  the new bldg. of  Life Science where the entire department had recently been shifted. The bldg. was still under construction; but,  Thomas Jack  was friendly to all of us.......he also knows  Yash............he  (Thomas  Jack)
spent much of his time in showing us the new building, his  new Office, Auditorium,  the Mechanical room, Electrical room , Conference room, Laboratory, and also the  Green house which is still under construction plus many other important rooms & allied rooms. He chatted with Runi &  Yash also on many aspects.
It was really generous of  him to give us so much of  his valuable time. Dada and Yash took many snapshots here. By the way, we saw boards there in this bldg. of  Life Sc.,  which tell of the works of  (a) Anwesha Nag  ( Runi)  &   (2) Yashodhan Chinchore  (Yash).
That was satisfying for all of us ,for sure.
Next we took leave of  the Professor &  walked thru the college towards the Golf Course which was near-by. While going there, we saw their (Runi and Yash's) medical care center and also saw the Pscychology deptt.'s bldg. Sorry, I have forgot to mention that while entering the college area we saw an All-faith temple where Hindus also are entitled to perform  their  Pujas and rituals.
Players were seen  there in the golf course playing golf with caddies & the smaller vehicles for movement after hitting the golf ball, along the course.
There was a pond near-by.....Gold fish could be seen therein  (Yash showed me the same) ....also a  mother tortoise & its offspring  (Also shown by Yash) was seen. Yash  used his cameras here (he brought  with him two of his cameras ) for much time &  was seen moving from one pl. to another by the side of the pond, selecting advantageous points & also selecting his shots.............he was sort of absorbed in his hobby & had to be called  a few times for joining the rest of the team
Now we moved  to a co-op store & Runi bought a few things. They (Runi & Yash) showed us places reminiscent of their stay in Hanover  viz. Runi's house, Yash's stay, the place associated with the famous poet Robert Frost  (Can't I remember the famous lines..."  The woods are lovely,  dark and deep;  but,  I have promises to keep and miles to go,  before  I sleep"........... I may be excused, in case  I misquote).
Yash  had  memories of  his own & his nostalgia was quite visible when he showed the playgrounds of  his college ........he used to play cricket in some of the same......... he also showed  us a soccer stadium, tennis court and the Ice hockey stadium plus other sports facilities, many of them under Dartmouth college governance.
Next, we had our brunch at  Loui's restaurant at downtown  Hanover..............prior to that, Runi & Yash did some shopping from Dartmouth Co-operative store, while I  remained sitting in a road-side  bench observing the township which was abuzz with people .....many of them being parents & guardians of  students seeking admission in the college,  (It  was a campus  visit) ..... they also had the option to stay out,  however, in the event of any dissatisfaction arising in their mind.  Anyhow, the central place of this town was quite busy & my time did not hang heavy.    Runi & Yash eventually completed their shopping & came out of the store. Dada & bou-di  had, in the meantime, become tired  & joined me in the meditation, on the  bench. By the way, Runi & Yash bought Sweaters , whereupon  the letters  DARTMOUTH COLLEGE were printed......... I think, it was their privilege.
Next we all entered Loui's restaurant for our  lunch which had alsways been a favourite with Yash & Runi. People were  queing up for food here.........apparently, it was a nice pl. for khana & it proved to be so.  The menu was good & I had omlette & bread with fruits. Others chose their own dishes.
We had some more hrs. in hand to go around in Hanover  & go shopping fm place to place such as Lindt's,  Dollar Tree   (All items @ $1) , Walmart and  Co-Op store.  We bought things to fulfilment .......... one high point of this shopping was  that  no tax was to be charged here in NH.      Wonderful...... it  gave us all immense pleasure & we  shopped till we dropped .............not actually; but,  allegorically so.
Now was the time to say....... . .Goodbye Hanover.........  it was  about 7-30 P.M.......... the pilgrim's progress, especially for Runi & Yash  was over..............&  it was the  beginning of the journey back to the din & bustle of the much more busy city of Boston.
In Boston we found ourselves taking rest at home........... the clock struck 10 P.M  & Bou-di was busy soon laying dinner on the table.

Papai infmd me yesterday night that Argentine superstar Lionel Messi will play in a FIFA official International  exhibition match in Yubabharati Krirangan i.e Salt lake stadium, Kolkata on 2nd september. The two teams to participate are Argentina and Venezuela. Prior to this, the concerned authorities are going all-out for a face-lift of the   Salt lake stadium. According to Papai,  tkts may be @  Rs 1000/-, but, it is to be confirmed.   Tkts will be avlble. from Mohammedan  Sporting ground.  This is great news for me. After returning to Kolkata,  I would like to have all the details of the match.
Today, in the morning  I went with Dada to  the  Citizens Bank  where he had some work.... next we did some shopping at Whole Foods Market and came home back. Yash was home today & we spent some of our time with him, whereas Runi was in the lab. She e-mailed me that all of us would go to  Russo's  & also to the BJ's, at about 6 P.M, when she would come home back
Actually, she returned somewhat earlier.... at about 5-35 P.M & all of us was driven to the said two shopping centers for our daily requirements as well as some other  purposes also.
Plan for tomorrow:.........  We are all set to  go to New Hampshire. This is the place where Runi and Yash lived, studied and  where the College of Dartmouth is ,  and  wherefrom both of them  obtained  their Ph.D degrees. The journey  begins in the morning  & in a car it may take about 2 hrs. or so to reach the  said college in NH.
Back to football mania................   East Bengal Club of Kol. celebrated their 92nd year of  establishment & side by side felicitated  a few ex-players of the club.

Amitava, Satarupa & Mr. Debjit Biswas

 Runi left for her lab early assuring  Bou-di that she would come home early to assist her for welcoming the guests and arranging for the dinner also. The guests were Amitava and Satarupa as well as Mr. Debjit Biswas who works in Runi's lab.
Yash was busy with his presentation work and left home sometime after  Runi. 
After lunch, we slept for some hrs. & woke up to evening tea. Runi  was true to her words & came home early & immdtely. started organising everything for the incoming guests.
Amitava & Satarupa came sometime after 7-30 P.M & Mr. Biswas came after 8-o-clock. Amitava and his wife Satarupa live in  Quincy & about them  I  have already written in  an earlier blog.
Debjit Biswas is a 78-yr-old gentleman who is still wkg. & is of active habits. He hails from Chittagong and  he studied in Calcutta (Not Kolkata of today),  Presidency College, then in Delhi. He is here in Boston for the last 40 yrs. or so.  He lives in Newton which is not far from here. His wife passed away long before & his son as well as his daughter  also live either in Boston or somewhere near-by.
Debjit Biswas was energetic enough to  bring with him a good quantity of salman fish prepared with mustard. He talked with us on various subjects like Presidency college now being upgraded to a University status, his life-style here in Boston, his work.........some discussions centered around Kolkata also..... he told us that he goes to Kolkata occasionally & stays in his elder sister's house in Salt Lake AE Block.
Amitava plays cricket and naturally we all talked about cricket also.  Satarupa grouped with Bou-di & Runi and they talked among themselves while everybody waited for Yash to come & join.
When  I  told Mr. Biswas about our joining the Gurupurnima festival in  Ramakrishna  Mission, Boston........ he  ( Mr. Biswas) remembered that there is Ananda Ashram also established by  Swami Paramananda of the Ramakrishna order in  Cohasset, MA & he told us about Mataji Gayatri  Devi also. He wished to guide us there if possible & as it was not feasible, he wished to take us there next time.
Yash came home late ... at about 8-45  P.M........Yash & his colleagues had an occasion to celebrate bec. one of them had had an article published in the Science journal Nature & that was an achievement in every sense.  That caused him the delay .
In dinner we had  Chawal  (Bhat), fried rice, daal, bandha kofir  (cabbage)  tarkari, begun bhaja, lamb curry, salman with mustard, tomato chutney and water melon (as a desert).
 Everything tasted good. Debjit  Biswas was quite successful in preparing the fish. Everyone liked that. Bou-di, however, did not eat salman fish. I avoided Lamb curry.
It was 9-45  P.M & Mr. Biswas took leave. He hoped to meet us next time here.  Amitava  & Satarupa  also took their leave from us, hoping to meet some other time. We also invited them to go to our house in India, Kolkata.
Everyone has become aware of the fact that  our stay in Boston is now limited for a few days more.

Keeping indoors

It would have been better if dada or bou-di would have written the blog and not me. As  I  did not not move at all from the house, save my walking exercise for the day and whereas dada and boudi went for a train journey via  D-line train from Beaconsfield stn to the last stn i.e Riverside. They say that no river is visible fm the station area.....it seemed to them to be a countryside. They saw a Golf Course also there. They went for this trip at about 3-30 P.M & returned at about 5-30 P.M.    Yash  came home today much before time, bec. he has a presentation work to do. When Dada told him that there is no river there , Yash let us know that a river is near-by & there is a big reservoir there for water-supply.
After lunch, I  was going thru pages of the fiction  titled  Intution  by Allegra Goodman........a book which deals with research works conducted in a lab, by postdoctoral students.....their ethics, lack of ethics sometimes... all set in Boston & Cambridge areas, already somewhat familiar to us.... sometimes by the names only and sometimes by our visits to the said places.
In the evening, Runi brought some items for cooking fm Trader's Joe in Coolidge Corner and  she along with Yash prepared sort of toasts with bread & mushroom, in an electrical grill machine.  It was ok.
Bou-di is averse to mushroom and stuck to plain type toasts.
I already know that Mr. Biswas who works with Runi in the lab is due to come to our house tomorrow evening.  Welcome Sri Biswas.

Happy birthday Weather Forecast

From Internet I came to know that today  (2nd August) is the 150th birthday of   Weather Forecast.  On 1st August, 1861, the Times newspaper published the first ever weather forecast. It was  put together by Admiral Robert Fitzroy who led the meteorological deptt. then.
Happy birthday........weather forecast.
I rang up my friend at Kolkata ..... Mihir the previous night.......... who infmd me that they were passing thru hot & humid days. My friend  Dilip's son (Papai) already e-mailed me of the same. Mihir also told me that there had been sufficient rainfall there; but, the gruelling heat remained.
Today morning, I read in Anandabazar patrika of kolkata, India that there had been a power failure of serious nature and the city was plunged into darkness, the previous night.
Here we also are passing thru hot days..........however, in the evening, thunderclouds roared and we recd. some amount  of rainfall......... to mark the 150th anniversary of   Weather forecast perhaps.
As regards ourselves....... we enjoyed complete rest & remained home all the while.

Television

Yesterday evening, Prashant and his wife Akashi came to our house, as scheduled. Prashant was a room-mate of  Yash in MKU, Madurai........Runi was also there in this university & Dada and Bou-di remembered meeting Prashant there once.
Akashi is very much free & sociable and all of them had much to talk about.
Next, the dinner was laid on the table. Menu:----- Plain rice, fried rice, daal, begun bhaja  (Akashi liked the same very much), Lamb curry & Chicken curry plus chutney (Tomato), cucumbers and lemons.
I avoided  the lamb dish & ate all the rest to heart's content.

Today it is 1st August & we have more or less 2 weeks left here to stay. Runi/Yash's TV is ok now & is working............ we have now a new option in hand to spend time. The TV will give us news updates and recreations also.
The said TV was not working so long for want of a new appliance which was reqd. & they (Yash/Runi) just got the same yesterday.
I will write more tomorrow perhaps &  I am stopping here .

P.S:------ I shd add   a few  lines at least about Brooklyne Public library, Coolidge Corner Branch where dada, Bou-di and myself went some days back. It is  located  near-by........i.e near Coolidge Corner, in Pleasant Street.
It is a v V good Library with a large collection of books ranging from  Fictions, Mystery thrillers, Sci Fi books, Science books , Poetry books, Biographies.   Free reading facility is there. Plus, one can be a member, if one can fulfil certain requirements......... that's all.   Runi learnt of this & later became a member.    Dada brought a few books home.  While in the library on the 1st day of our visit there, I was reading a few pages from two of the biographical books  of  the famous hollywood actress (Now-a-days called actor)   Shirley Mcleine.
She has written more books in this biography series. However, we had to go home  & my free reading came to an abrupt end therefore.