Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show (MIFGS)

It’s bloom time this season with Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show (MIFGS) - which is the best, biggest and most keenly anticipated horticultural event in the southern hemisphere.

The annual garden party was held last week at Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Garden, Melbourne from 20^th – 24^th March 2013.

Apart from showing its horticultural and floral excellence, the show brought together many of country’s best landscape designers, florists and suppliers in the heritage-listed Exhibition building precinct.

The ticketed event entered through the Great Hall bursting us into the most intoxicatingly perfumed and fragrant varieties of the season. As you walk past the hall, you can witness style wrapped in creativity, created by young talents in the floral-fasion show. Live sculptures, wall decors, floral arrangements, displays, floral fashion statement galore – all that you can ever imagine in a single show.

The hall opens up to the garden (Carlton Garden) where you can draw inspirations from live demonstrations on how to make your garden groovy and if you are lucky, you can also walk past a celebrity in the garden.

I saw kiddos having a gala time as they take part in Cubby House Challenge, get their face painted and dirty their hands with pot planting. So, the show had much in store for kids to keep them occupied.

Breakthroughs of the season were the Orchids, Primrose and Daffodils on display. I flicked a bag of golden Daffodil bulbs for my garden too.

Style and elegance was an inspiration from the landscaping designs, created by young and aspiring talent from Australia.

The Lindeman’s Open Garden was an added extravaganza to sample wines that are low in alcohol but delicious to taste.

Great show, fabulous arrangement, great line-up, fresh seasonal display and gorgeous presentation. In short, this is the best to witness on our own Australian soil.

So, mark you diaries every year so you cannot afford to miss this – I shall see you all next year ~

For more information visit melbflowershow.com.au

[Note: Please do not copy or publish the content and photos without my permission]

Copyright © Chondryma Chakrobortti 2013. All Rights Reserved.

"Krishnachandrer Pishimar Lau Chingri" - The aunt who cooked bottlegourd with shrimp

Have you heard of the Gopal Bhar story when he tricks Maharaj Krishnachandrer Pishima (King Krishnachadra’s aunt) to win a bet upon Maharaj and earn money from her? Pishima was thrifty but stingy by nature and everyone knew this in the kingdom. So Maharaj decided to place a challenge on Gopal Bhar’s wit and wisdom. He was asked to trick Pishima and earn money from her. Gopal agreed.


He went to Pishima’s house and explained her how badly he was missing Pishima’s ranna (Aunt’s cooking). Further requested her to cook for him that night. Pishima said she cannot visit the market but will feed him with whatever could be arranged at home. Gopal nodded with a smile. He took leave from Pishima only to return back at night for dinner.

Once Gopal left, Pishima went to the kitchen and found Lau (bottlegourd) in the pantry – Lau, being every Bengali’s favorite, Pishima decided to cook Lau ghonto for Gopal. 

Let me tell you here, Pishima was bidhoba (widow) and hence she would cook and eat only vegetarian. Those days, for a widow, it was considered a sin to even have touched anything that is considered a non-veg. 

 It was time for dinner, and Gopal arrived with a bag full of fried kucho-chingri (shrimps) hidden in his pocket. As he sat to eat, Pishima served him with his favourite Lau ghonto. Gopal asked Pishi to get him some water to drink and meanwhile mixed few fried shrimps in the lau ghonto Pishi served. After Pishi returned with water, he mentioned that she had prepared the yummiest of Lau-chingri he ever had! Pishi was confused on that statement and asked Gopal what he meant by that! 

Gopal showed the shrimps in the Lau ghonto and called it a Lau-chingri delicacy. Pishi felt ashamed of her negligence & bribed Gopal with some money only to keep it a secret and not tell anyone. 

On discovering the news, Maharaj rewarded Gopal for his sheer intelligence.

Now, I was reading my childhood “Gopal Golpo Samagra” (Collection of Gopal Bhar stories), and cooking Pishima’s Lau Chingri for my weekend. How was your weekend?

You can get a glimpse of the tale as narrated by Angel Video here Gopal Bhand and Kipte Pisi

Video Courtesy – Angel Videos

Picture Courtesy – Chondryma

[Note: Please do not copy or publish the content and photos without my permission]

Copyright © Chondryma Chakrobortti 2013. All Rights Reserved.