EAST COAST OF INDIA

East India is comprised of the states of West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam,

Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram, Tripura and
Orissa. This region is home to beaches and mountains and Cherrapunji, the
city with the highest rainfall in the world.

Because of the climate, Eastern India grows a lot of rice! Green

vegetables and fruit are also abundant and thus are the recipes using them.
People, though, are a balanced mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian.

The geographical location of this region means its food bears the strong
influence of Chinese and Mongolian cuisine.

STYLE OF FOOD
Although East India has three schools of cuisine--Bengali and Assam, the
Northeastern states and then Orissa--simple is the key word for food of this
region. Preparation is not elaborate and neither are most of the ingredients.
Steaming and frying are popular methods of cooking. In coastal regions fish is
the food of choice while further inland pork wins the position on the plate.
People of no other region in India can rival the Eastern Indians' love for
sweets and desserts. Some of India’s most popular and world-renowned
sweets come from here.

STAPLE INGREDIENTS
This region is known for its abundance of rice due to the ideal
growing climate. Dishes also utilize a variety of local vegetables and fruit.
Other popular ingredients are mustard seeds and paste, chilies (both green
and red), as well as Paanch Phoran which is a mix of five spices – white cumin
seeds, onion seeds, mustard seeds, fennel seeds and fenugreek seeds.
Yogurt, coconut, maize and gram flour are also common ingredients. Milk and
dairy products play a huge role in the preparation of sweets in Eastern India.
Mustard oil is very popular and used for both deep frying and cooking. Other
vegetable oils are also utilized and ghee is used for cooking special occasion
foods.

POPULAR DISHES
East Indian cuisine's distinct character sets it apart from other areas of the
country. The dishes features less spice than their neighboring regions'
recipes, allowing the main ingredients to really shine through. The coastal
section allows for a variety of fresh seafood, the warm climate and lush forest
for ample produce. The European explorers and Muslim settlers left their
mark, resulting in a unique style of cooking that is purely East Indian.

Some popular dishes are momos (steamed, meat- or vegetable-filled

wontons) and Thukpa (a clear soup). Tomato Achaar (tomato pickle),
Machcher Jhol (fish curry), and Jhaal-Muri (a spicy snack made with puffed
rice and mustard oil) are also commonly seen on menus.

SWEETS ARE KING

Sweets are a big deal in East India, and the region is renowned for its sugary
treats--as well as the inhabitants' sweet tooths! Favorites include Sandesh
(made of paneer and sugar) and Rasgolla (dumplings in syrup), as well as
creamy rice pudding (kheer). They are lighter and less dense than other
Indian desserts.
SATYAJIT RAY BIOGRAPHY
Satyajit Ray (1921-1992) was a renowned filmmaker, music composer, author
and screenwriter. Born in the family which is known for its prominence in
literature and arts, Satyajit too started off as a commercial artist with keen
interest in independent filmmaking. Vittorio De Sica’s movie Bicycle Thieves
and meeting French filmmaker Jean Renoir are said to influence him greatly.

MAJOR WORKS
He initially worked as a graphic artist, before moving on to filmmaking. He
founded the Calcutta Film Society in 1947. During the Second World War, he
became friendly with many American soldiers stationed in Kolkata from whom
he learnt about the latest American films being shown in Kolkata.
In his illustrious career, Ray directed 37 films, which included feature films,
documentaries and short ones. He shot to fame right from his first film, Pather
Panchali, winning 11 international awards. Besides direction, he was also
involved in scripting, casting, scoring, cinematography, art direction, editing
and advertising. He also wrote detective stories for children and two of his
characters Feluda, a professional detective, and Professor Shonku a scientist
became very famous.

Awards and Achievements

 He was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1985.
 The French government awarded him their highest civilian award,
Le’gion d’honour in 1989.
 He received the honorary Oscar for lifetime achievements in 1991 and
in the same year he was awarded the Bharat Ratna.
 He received honorary doctorates from many famous universities around
the globe, including the Oxford University.

DEATH AND CONCLUSION

Satyajit Ray is a versatile genius. His death on 23 rd April 1992 is one of the
darkest events of history of Modern India. His sad and sudden eclipse from
the mundane scenario is an irreparable loss to India, nay, to the whole world.
His death has created a vacuum in our life – a vacuum that we are afraid, can
never be filled in.
SUBHASH CHANDRA BOSE BIOGRAPHY
Subhash Chandra Bose is one of the most dynamic leaders of India’s struggle
of independence. He is popularly known as Netaji. He was born in Cuttack, in
Orissa on January 23, 1897 to Janaki Nath Bose and Prabhavati Devi. His
father was a famous lawyer and his mother was a religious lady. Among the
fourteen siblings, he was the ninth child.

Right from his childhood he was a bright student and was a topper in the
matriculation examination from the whole of Calcutta province. He graduated
from the Scottish Church College in Kolkata, West Bengal with a First Class
degree in Philosophy. Influenced by the teachings of Swami Vivekananda, he
was known for his patriotic zeal as a student. He went to England to
accomplish his parents’ desire to appear in the Indian Civil Services. In 1920
he appeared for the competitive examination and stood fourth in the order of
merit. Deeply moved by the Jallianwalla Bagh massacre in Punjab, Subhash
Chandra Bose left his Civil Services apprenticeship midway and returned to
India.

After he returned to India, Subhash Chandra Bose was influenced by

Mahatma Gandhi views. He then joined the Indian National Congress and
worked under the leadership of Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das, who later
became his political guru. He opposed the Dominion Status for India declared
by the Congress under the guidance of the Motilal Nehru Committee. They
were in favor of complete independence and nothing else. In 1930, during the
Civil Disobedience he was sent to jail and released only after the Gandhi-Irwin
pact was signed in 1931.

Subash Chandra Bose was exiled from India to Europe; he took advantage of
this opportunity and tried to establish political and cultural ties between India
and Europe by forming centers in the various capital cities of Europe. He was
jailed for a year for not obeying the ban on his entry to India. Congress was
elected in seven states during the general elections of 1937 and he was
released. Defying the ban on his entry to India, Subash Chandra Bose
returned to India and was again arrested and sent to jail for a year. After the
General Elections of 1937, Congress came to power in seven states and he
was released. Next year he was elected as the President of the Haripura
Congress Session. He took a very stern decision and brought a resolution and
asked Britishers to hand India over to the Indians within six months.

Following opposition to his rigid stand, he resigned from the post of president
and formed the Forward Block. He fled to Germany via Afghanistan and tried
to persuade Germany and Japan to cooperating against the British Empire.
He then moved to Singapore from Germany in July 1943 and formed the Azad
Hind Fauj (Indian National Army). The army comprised mainly of Indians who
were prisoners of war. The army crossed the Burma border, and reached the
Indian soil on March 18, 1944.
Japan and Germany were defeated in the Second World War and a result the
INA could not fulfill its objective. On August 18, 1945, Subhash Chandra Bose
was declared killed in an air crash over Taipei, Taiwan (Formosa). But there
are people who believe that he is still alive and many Commissions were set
up to find the truth but nothing could be found about his whereabouts.
ISHWAR CHANDRA VIDYASAGAR
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was a British Indian Bengali polymath and a key
figure of the Bengal Renaissance.

He was a philosopher, academic educator, writer, translator, printer, publisher,

entrepreneur, reformer and philanthropist. His efforts to simplify and
modernize Bengali prose were significant. He also rationalized and simplified
the Bengali alphabet and type, which had remained unchanged since Charles
Wilkins and Panchanan Karmakar had cut the first (wooden) Bengali type in
1780. He also forced the British to pass the widow remarriage act.

Main contributions of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar to the society are given

bellow.
1. He has given more importance to educational reforms than the social
reforms.
2. He has given importance to educational infrastructure and wanted to
spread it to the common peoples.
3. He was also interested in women's education. He had also established
many ladies school.
4. As a social reformer he had given importance to widow remarriage.
5. Due to his efforts 'Widow Remarriage Act' was passed in 1856.
6. Another work if Vidyasagar, was to start teaching through mother
tongue.
7. He has enriched the Bengali Education System by writing many good
text books for students.
ANNADA SHANKAR RAY
Annada Shankar Ray was a Bengali- and Odia-language poet and essayist.
He also wrote some odia poetry.

He wrote several Bengali poems criticising the Partition of India. Most notable
is "Teler shishi bhaanglo bole khukur pare raag karo. Among his many essays,
the book Banglar Reneissancehas an analytical history of the cultural and
social revolution in Bengal. Ray's best known work is Pathe Prabaase, a diary
of his trip in Europe in 1931, he died in Kolkata on 28 October 2002.

CAREER
After serving in various administrative posts, he sought voluntary retirement in
1951 to devote himself to literary pursuits. Ray was a Gandhian in politics and
Rabindranath Tagore inspired his literature, his first published book
was Tarunya (1928), which gave him a footing as an essayist. His first two
novels were Asamapika and Agun Niye Khela, as an essayist, he was urbane
and sophisticated and combined in his craft two different styles of prose,
represented by Tagore and Pramatha Choudhury. A significant breakthrough
in his literary career came with the publication of Pathe Prabase, a diary of his
Europe trip, in 1931. Ray also established himself as a short-story writer, his
collections include Prakritir Parihas (1934), Man Pavan (1946), Kamini
Kanchan (1954) and Katha.

AWARD
He received the Vidyasagar Smriti Award from the state government and
the Padma Bhushan, he was made a fellow of the Sahitya Akademi in 1989.
The Visva Bharati conferred on him the Desikottama and an honorary D.Litt,
he also received the Rabindra Puraskar, the Ananda Puraskar twice and the
Zaibunnisa Award of Bangladesh.
EASTERN
COAST
OF

INDIA