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QISSA-I-CALCUTTA− THE PARSI CHRONICLES
The Future Group and Calcutta Instagrammers collaborated to highlight the rich heritage of our city with The Future of the Past . The Qissa-I-Calcutta Project showcased the cultural heritage of the Parsi Community which currently has about 450 members who reside in Kolkata. The event held on 4th February 2017, at the Olpadvala Hall featured an Instagram Style Photo-Story Exhibition. Some of the pictures were beautiful and I loved the ones of Ketayun Saklat in her Studio, scenes from a Parsi Community dinner which we call ‘Ghambar’ and some lovely shots of our Fire Temple in particular. Kudos to the Calcutta Instagrammers for being able to capture the essence of the community via the photo-story. I was delighted to be a part of an interactive “Adda” (chat session) with included three generations of the Parsis in Kolkata where we spoke about our journey since we arrived in the city 250 years back. Interesting perspectives from the different generations and some curious and very valid questions from the non-parsi audience made it an informative experience.
There was a specially curated Menu of Parsi Cuisine which consisted of traditional dishes like Dhansak, Patra ni Macchi, Aleti Paleti, Prawn Patio, Akuri, Lagan Nu Custard etc. which was appreciated by all the guests. I personally really enjoyed the Aleti Paleti, Prawn Patio and Dhansak which were excellent.
Aleti Paleti is a traditional dish made with mixed offal and is a community favorite. Prawn Patio is a dish where the prawn is cooked in a slightly spicy, sweet and sour curry and normally served with yellow dal and steamed rice. Dhansak is perhaps the most well-known of all the Parsi dishes and is made by cooking mutton or chicken with various lentils and vegetables. It tastes best served up with caramelized brown rice and a diced salad we call kachumbar. As a gourmet it gave me immense pleasure to see the non-Parsi’s explore the cuisine and enjoy it.
An enlightening and memorable evening and I hope it’s the first of many more to come.
Picture Credits Suneha Saha
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