Ananda Sandhya Vocal Concert


March 14, 2008, 8.00pm

Featuring INDRANI CHAKRABORTY and SUCHISMITA DUTTA LAL

Artists of the month

INDRANI CHAKRABORTY

Indrani has been learning Hindustani Classical music from Mitali banerjee Bhawmik for the past several years. She is the recipient of the Folk Arts Apprenticeship award from “New Jersey State Council on the Arts” in 2003 and 2005 for Hindustani Classical music. She has performed in various prestigious musical events in New York, New Jersey, and Atlanta.
In her earlier days in India, Indrani has learned various forms of Bengali music (Rabindra Sangeet, Atul Prasad, Nazrul Geeti, Bhatiali, etc.) under the tutelage of Mrs. Shukla Dam, and had completed her “Visharad” degree. She performed for Guwahati Doordarshan in Assam, and for All India Radio Shillong. Indrani is a software engineer by profession.

SUCHISMITA DUTTA LAL

Suchismita started learning music from Smt. Renuka Sen when she was 5 years old. She completed Sangeet Prabhakar in Hindustani Classical Vocal from Prayag Sangeet Samiti and during this period also performed at the local radio station. She is currently receiving additional training from Mitali Bhawmik.
Suchismita is a Research Assistant at Rutgers University, working on her Ph.D. in Structural Biology.

Tabla accompaniment by Sri Amod Dandawate
Harmonium accompaniment by
Young Master Neil Nadkarni

Please come and share this fabulous musical evening.
As usual, the ANANDA SANDHYA concert is FREE, Children come free. However, your kind donation is always graciously accepted.

Ananda Mandir is located on Cedar Grove Lane off Easton Avenue in Somerset, NJ.
For info, call Arun Bhowmik at 908-672-1452.

Visit for direction and additional information on Ananda Mandir

Shiva Ratri at Anandamandir


Ananda Mandir will be celebrating Shiva Ratri on Thursday, March 6, 2008. You are cordially invited to participate in the celebration of this event.

The Nirghanto is as follows:

a) Temple will open……….10:00 a.m.
b) Rajbesh & Hima Chandana Arati………..8:00 p.m.
c) Pushpanjali and Prasad Distribution…….8:45 p.m.
d) Temple will close…………………………….9:00 p.m.

The Temple will remain closed temporarily from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Moglai Porota


Moglai PorotaMoglai Porota (or maybe Mughlai Parantha) is one of the most sublime Bengali comfort foods that I know of. I don’t know if the Mughals ever ate this tasty flaky fried dough interleaved with eggs, onions, green chilli and minced meat (keema). Whatever may be the source of this food, it has become a Bengali favorite of all times. I don’t recall I have seen Moglai Porota in a menu of any restaurant outside Bengal (except the Bengali ones of course). Hence I am going to call it Mogali Porota, just the way Bengali’s love to call it. Several restaurants (and hotels as we prefer to call these eateries in India) have earned their name to fame by serving their world famous Mogali Porotas to their clientèle. Anadi Cabin, Das cabin and many other names come to my mind. But not too many though, since making a good Moglai Porota is no easy task for any chef. Crafting the thin crepe from a heavily leavened flour dough requires a skill that can be mastered by very few. I have heard many tales of tricks and techniques used by the great Moglai chefs – some tossed the dough in air (like they do for pizza or rumali roti) twirling it in the air and allowing the centrifugal force to thin the dough out. Some thrashed the dough against a well oiled flat piece of granite or marble till the dough becomes thin, almost semi transparent. Some have used the simple roller pin with such dexterity that the dough flattened out like a thin paper in no time. Continue reading