THE SILENT BONG

It is a tiny state with only 40 Assembly constituencies which are of not much significance when considered in respect of national political canvass under ordinary circumstances. However, Mizoram Assembly election, which was slated for Nov 28, 2018, is of much political importance in view of the forthcoming Lok Sabha election early next year especially for arch rivals Congress and the BJP and more so for Mizo regional party, Mizo National Front (MNF) which is desperately looking forward for its resurrection after remaining out of power for a decade since 2008. On November 28, Mizoram — comprising of 40 assembly seats — went to polls recording 75 percent voters' turnout. The state is the last bastion of the Congress in the Northeastern region. Congress has been in power in the state with Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla at the helm for the past 10 years. Besides facing anti-incumbency, the party is also confronted with an adverse political trend; no party has ever succeeded for a ...

“There is no sincerer love than the love of food,” said George Bernard Shaw. Finally the days are here when one forgets all the diet charts and slimming mantras; when the temples are filled with the aroma of ‘khichuri and labra’ and streets with the aroma of Biryani and Rolls. Yes, it’s Durga Puja and how can one stay away from food. Listed down are a few ‘Puja Special’ dishes you just can’t miss! LUCHI & CHHOLAR DAL This is a must dish on the cards for the bongs. A tempting dish to start the day with! The softness of luchi (poori) when served with Chholar Dal (split Bengal gram), cooked with grated coconut and spices, leaves a never ending flavour on your taste buds. SWEETS After starting the day on a good note, it’s time for a sweet dish, but a light one. To make your sweet tooth sweeter, a Sandesh (less in sugar content) will serve the purpose. BHOG – KHICHURI, LABDA & PAYESH How can someone miss this time of the day? People ...

  Who doesn't love eating Biriyani? Flavoured rice, cooked with meat and natural spices, this mouth-watering aromatic platter is sure to give you gastronomic delights. Although the origin of Biriyani is not known, it is believed to have come from Persia -- where they cooked the dish for their soldiers -- into India with a little help with the Mughals. Whereas, some stories speak of Arab traders bringing in the flavoured rice to Calicut, Kerala, via the Arabian Sea or it was brought to South Asia by the Turkish during the Delhi Sultanate. Biriyani is derived from the Persian word ‘Birian’ meaning ‘fried before cooking’. This means the rice is fried (without washing) in ghee which gives it the nutty flavour and the burnt outside starch layer gelatinize it. The intense influence of Mughal Arabic culture, on our country, made Biriyani a popular delicacy in the Indian menu. Culinary experts here experimented and exposed varieties to this legendary aromatic preparatio...

They are fun, they are short and they are crisp. You can just add them to any conversation and express yourself fully. Someone sends you an encouraging note and you don't have time to respond with a lengthy answer…so what do you do? You pick an emoji or an emoticon that vaguely matches your response. No one can ignore the fact that emojis and emoticons have replaced long texts and people are way more comfortable using them. Emojis – a Japanese term which translates to ‘picture and character’ – first surfaced in 1998. But it wasn't until major smartphone players like Apple integrated emojis into their operating system that their use took off. The emergence of new picture icons – like a smiley brown poop or the broken heart – over the past couple of years have added personality to our text message conversations. “Emoji(s) get picked up because they are so useful for enriching text with the kinds of things we might use our intonation or facial expressions to conve...

“We are lucky to be born in this era – the era of technology. Everything is online. From clothes to medicine to maid, the want is just a click away,” says Sohini Mukherjee, who works with an MNC in Delhi. For Sohini, it is next to impossible to spend time on daily household needs and thus she prefers ordering online. Yes, the internet revolution is here and is surely not a bubble; it is here to stay. Year 2018 is said to be the year of technology and with new innovations it has reached a new high. From ‘bookmybai’ to ‘bookmyshow’ everything is now online making life more comfortable and dependable. “For me internet plays a very important role, now it’s like I am addicted to it. Internet saves our time, saves paper utilisation as we use email to interact,” says Guwahati-based Debjit Kar. “Internet is soon going to its next level of speed as LiFi will take over WiFi, which works 100 times faster from it, transmission of data will be in seconds soon,” he added. ...