Our member Ms S. Mukerji, loves socialising and is very passionate about cooking. She loves to entertain guests with her signature recipes. She has penned down these recipes and published them to share with people who follow the same passion. Ayesha, her daughter, has compiled all the family favourites in a handwritten cookbook—some have been handed down by her grandmother, Ms Kalyani Mukerji, and some by her great grandmother, Ms C. R Das, who was a renowned culinary expert of the day. Ms S. Mukherji has translated all the recipes from Bengali to English and tweaked them here and there to give them a modern twist, which she thought would be convenient for contemporary cooking enthusiasts. Other than that, the recipes remain true to their origin. She has successfully published three of her recipe books which also gives an insight into the social and cultural history of those times.

Our member, Ms A. Basak, came to India from Bangladesh during the partition. She shares that the small golden idol of Dhakeshwari Debi which was worshipped in the Dhakeshwari Temple in Dhaka was flown into Kolkata along with numerous refugees, and was emplaced in the Dhakeshwari Debi temple in Kumortuli in 1950. She fondly remembers that the temple and the goddess has been auspicious for her family for ages. Whenever there has been a celebration such as a marriage ceremony or annaprashan the first invitation card is always offered to Goddess Dhakeshwari. All rituals are performed over there. This tradition has continued for ages and is still followed in the same manner by the present generation. This tradition is like a family heirloom which has been retained and passed on to future generations with immense faith and belief.