Winter is around the corner, and we spoke to our member Ms K. Ghosh about her love for the colder months, childhood memories, and the vast array of winter foods she has always looked forward to.
All year round I wait for winter. I dislike the heat as much as the rains. During these months I avoid going out as much as I can. Nowadays, with the city turning into a concrete jungle, the summers are getting from bad to worse. I feel bad when the Support Elders staff have to visit me, and I try my best not to ask them for help. I feel it is difficult for anybody to work in such conditions, and so I try to be as self-reliant as I can. But come winter and my mood changes. When we were younger, winter meant trips: school trips, picnics, and trips with the family. Those times were simpler too. A trip to the zoo, and a picnic on the grass in the gardens, meant a lot to us. I grew up in a joint family and we were a big group. School trips were a different dose of fun because it meant we would be travelling with our friends. We used to be taken to Bandel church, Diamond Harbour, Dakhineswar, Belur, and we’d enjoy it very much.
Winter also meant special foods and sweets: Pithe (sweet pancakes stuffed with coconut and jaggery) and payesh (kheer or rice pudding) were my favourite wintertime sweet dishes. My mother would fry nimki (savoury treats) as always but along with that we would get a whole lot of dishes made from winter vegetables, which I used to love. It is possible to get cauliflower and frozen peas throughout the year now, but when I was younger these items were a winter specialty. My mother would prepare karaishutir kochuri (flatbreads stuffed with peas) and dhakai paratha (a flaky, layered flatbread). My father used to dislike eating out and so he insisted these dishes be cooked at home. When I got married, my father-in-law, who was quite the opposite, would take us out and try and convince us to eat the varieties of food available outdoors.
Along with good food, winter has always meant peace to me: peace and pleasant weather. When the bustle and grime of summer and the constant battering of the rains die down, winter arrives with its comforting hand. I look forward to the coming months and hope to enjoy it as much as I can.
(𝘈𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘌𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳)

Our member Ms A. Paul has visited USA several times, and over the years, through keen observations, she has formed an interesting impression of the society there. She shares with us her ideas about life in the Indian diaspora in New Jersey.
In May this year I visited my children, both of whom live in North America. My son is based in Toronto, Canada, and my daughter is in New Jersey. I flew from India to New York, landing at JFK International airport. From there it took me a little over an hour to reach my daughter’s house in Bridgewater. I did not travel with a Canada visa this time, so my son made the eight-hour drive to visit us for a week.
I have been travelling to the USA for many years, so I am used to their ways now. But when I went there for the first time, it took me a while to get used to certain customs such as the measurement system. I was used to the kilometre-litre system of measurement, whereas there they use the Imperial system, measuring distances in miles and liquids in gallons.
Most purchases there are made based on self-service. This also was new to me in the beginning. For instance, there are no attendants at petrol pumps. One has to pay and fill up the tank oneself. At the most there might be some high-school or college students working part-time at such places.
I found the regular American to be very amiable. It is always pleasant, when I’m there, to be greeted by strangers with a friendly hello. One thing I find extremely nice is the way vehicles in the suburbs will stop and the drivers will wave at pedestrians, signalling them to cross.
As we always do on my trips to New Jersey, we made a trip to the Atlantic Ocean. It is awe-inspiring. Huge waves crashed incessantly on the shore, and even though it was summer the winds were very chilly. I was able to sit there only for a little while before hurrying back to the car. My children are used to it by now. They jumped into the water and went for a swim. Not me – I guess I am far too Indian to be used to such temperatures.
My grandchildren’s generation are growing up to be far more American than Indian. My daughter ensures they speak in Bengali whenever there’s a get-together at home, but in several Indian families over there I have seen that the new generation can barely speak Indian languages. Perhaps the generations after them will gradually lose their Indianness.
A long time ago I had the chance to visit the World Trade Centre before 9/11. I remember feeling like a bird as I looked at the group of small islands that made up New York and New Jersey. I have returned home now and am at a great distance from the USA. But I look forward to flying back soon, like a bird, to my daughter and son.

(As narrated to Support Elders by our member)