Priyam' Brthday Party

Ive always emphasized how important reunion with friends are, so it goes without saying that meeting with Sayanti and Srimoyee was not only rejuvenating but also something that I hold very dear. So after months of pining for friends and what with stringent hectic schedules making it impossible to meet up, but with the birthday invite of priyam, the fourth pillar of our friendship and reunion brought us together again.

This post is not about what a wonderful time we all had, the familiar jokes, warm hugs and heartfelt emotions that resurfaced as all four of us met yet again ‘together’. But this post is about this other friend we had lost 10 years ago to an unknown illness. Though almost a decade has passed yet the incident had had a great impact on our lives, we never quite got over it all.

Yesterday at Priyams birthday get together, we met Papri’s mom. At a glimpse we recognized her and hesitantly we went over to talk. Tears filled her eyes to see us all grown up. Probably she was reminded of the fact that had Papri been alive she too would have been at the threshold of 21 and on an en route to leaving college. Papri never really grew up, she is still probably all of 10 years old, frozen in our memories. It was very painful for us to see aunty try and combat the reality and suppressed the emotions that threatened to overpower her. What struck us that loosing her only daughter has been too big a blow for her that she has lost her balance of mind. However uncle seemed a lot more stable and faced the world like a brave heart! It was almost a sad and tearful goodbye when we left.

Priyams birthday not just brought the four bestest friends from school back together on one place but it brought us face to face with aunty and in turn it helped us heal and overcome Papri’s loss. All four of us vowed to keep in touch more frequently and not just that to make sure aunty is never neglected from now on. it was one emotional and teary affair when the past caught up with us only to leave us feeling blessed to have such long and enduring friendship.

Retrospection

I've been a little busy the last few days.actually been enjoying the peace and tranquility that i had the good fortune to experience.though there has been these times when my horizon has been clouded with an impending storm but then it got cleared away thankfully.i was reading somewhere that i should do what i desire and pursue it and success lies in this belief that i will achieve what i want to.and i let for a change possitive feelings take lead and to my wonder i saw a new morning dawn.we often whine and grumble about the unhappy times, and then when happiness comes knocking,we are too busy anticipating the next unhappy moment that we forget to enjoy the moment that is so blissful.for a change i let go of caution and let myself drown in hopeful dreams that may culminate into reality, and enjoy the bliss till it lasted.and lo!I'm at peace now and happy with myself.

I don't know what possessed me that i went for an audition for TVJ[television journalism] and miraculously i got through even to the final round but then i knew i sucked at it but in the end i did get through.it was not about winning,it was about conquering my fears and my inhibitions,which i did.the result is in me so like this other friend who got through before me, we both declined the offer.so what my eternal dream of getting a make over went down the drains.there are far more important things in life.i learnt that indeed being with friends you consider close is far more precious than winning some petty contest.

As the cool breeze ruffles my hair and the room is plunged into darkness withing nothing but moonlight to see the sleuths of objects in my room i let the lone tears seep through.the tear is not in lamentation,or in wishing 'what could have been' but in realization that time has changed it all and nothing will ever be the same and that people have indeed changed.sometimes i do let people bother me,their remarks strange chilling books or even their inconspicuous ignorant attitude but then i let my positivity wash over me.i know these people don't matter,when i walk out of JU they will remain but as memories and hopefully in life id never see them again.but then a solitary voice in my head says that it does not want to harbour memories made in sunny days which the rains had blurred and carry the carcass of dead friendships and a laments of 'what was but never will be...' the weight of memories and carcass of friends are too much carry forward, i wish this peace and tranquility that i experience now,despite so much of mayhem happening around me;may it prevail when i take a step away from JU,to leave all these people and the bittersweet memories behind,forever.

Jodha - Akbar

Ashutosh Gowarikar has surpassed himself as a director par excellence!i walked into the multiplex with mixed feelings.in Barkha Dutts "WE THE PEOPLE" i heard someone remark that it was a 3long hours of watching a man try and consummate with his wife with frustrating moments of war and other irrelevant stuff.i had read reviews that said, that the movie is good only in parts and that the costume and cinematography is brilliant others its not worth mentioning.and the great controversy was that despite having learnt at school, we are told by some unknown historian that Jodha was not Akbar's favourite wife.in fact Akbar did not have a Rajput wife name Jodha. as if this was not enough, the Rajputs banned the movie terming as inaccurate and a tarnish to their brave name.

After i watched the 3 hour plus movie, something struck me that even though the movie was lengthy i found it entertaining and engaging to the very end.i don't think anyone but Ashwariya and Hrithik could do justice to the role of protagonists in this movie.they sizzle throughout as their chemistry was just breathtaking.truly "they say it best when they say nothing at all". their eyes speak it all.it mirrors Akbar's bewilderment not knowing the Hindu customs when Jodha extends her "pujas thali" to him, her mortification and anger at being married off to a Moghal despite being a Hindu reflects in her tear filled eyes.the love that both feel are mirrored in each others eyes.its the eyes that spoke it all.both were brilliant!the cinematography was beyond comparison as the war sequence was flawless and commendable.costumes and jewellery was beautiful,music surpassed everything, A R Rehman has outdone himself and the choreography was at its best! i wonder why the Rajputs had an objection to the movie,when they were so highly praised and shown in a good light. every decade some historian crops up with a new theory of his vision of history and we are yet again forced to acknowledge it.this is a movie and a creative work, so even if a certain things have factual errors as a work of art it should be overlooked.

INDIAN'S fail to qualify

For the 8 time champions of hockey, this is indeed shameful that the indians have failed to qualify for the Beijing Olympics. a game can either be lost or won and we should sportingly accept whatever the outcome of the game.so india lost, it is not a big deal but it is the attitude towards the game by the management,the organization, the nation and last but not the least the team.

in the last 15 years Indian hockey federation [IHF] has hired 15 coaches all of whom either dropped or resigned after one tournament.with no moolah flowing in and the national feeling or our national sport dwindling the lack of interest of the organization just creased.what is shocking is the two chief-Gill and Jyothikumaran, of the IHF dont even talk to each other, it is the security personal of Gill, Suresh Sharma is the de facto boss of the IHF.

the morning newspaper carries the headline "India's National Shame", yes probably it is but for all the wrong reasons.SRK, one of the richest men in Bollywood is investing in IPL and ignoring the chak de hockey that established him as an actor of substance. we are no one to decide how he makes money or invest, but then isnt it insane to spend "704"crore ruppes on IPL where the other games are almost fading into oblivion due to lack of funds.badminton national league matches were canceled last month when lack of shuttle [i can shuttle costs 1200 rs] and a national sport is reeling from the shock of being ignored and falling a poor second to cricket. the players too are dissatisfied, despite winning the Asian Cup last year they hardly got felitication whereas the crickets winning the world T20 got lakhs as the prize money individually.the players suffer from poor self esteem and lack of confidence.

My point is not why cricket over hockey?i love cricket, i love anything to do with sports but this partial behavior on the part of the people,the organization the sports ministry is really atrocious. as a sporting nation all sports should get equal attention,funds and importance.it is unfair on the government to support just one game while the rest goes downhill.the media too instead of making holier than thou comments and focus the attention to such sports which needs aid and do something worthwhile.India should take a leaf out of their new rival on cricketing ground,yes it is the Aussies, if a survey is to be carried out,it will be seen that the Aussies are champions not just in cricket there are in top 5 of any given sport and in Australia all sports find equal importance.

International Womens Day

It is so tough to be a woman, ask any girl and she will reveal the agony of being a woman. The anguish of being groped at as if you are a public property. being leached at because you are born a woman. bear unbearable pains of menstruation for those 5 days, and what more being treated as an alien because you are undergoing what all women do, which we have no choice of having and despite having which, we lead a perfectly normal life despite pains and cramps tears us apart. as if this wasn't it gender bias in buses and trains, in work place or in college. facing male chauvinism not just from your little brother or your boy friend but ultimately every man you encounter. nurturing a child in the womb for nine months, those nine months a woman risks her figure, yes her physical beauty is important because she knows having a child will never be the same, she will now be a mother so the attention shifts, prepares to adore her baby an extension of herself and the symbol of her love;only to bear the excruciating pain of child birth to breathe live into her child.

It is SHE, a sister, a friend, a girl friend, a wife and then a mother; SHE takes on every role.SHE leaves her parents and family who has nurtured her from a girl to a woman to build her castle of dreams with her husband.it is she who constructs her family and her life with hope, care and love.it is SHE who keeps the family together. and it is HER to we salute in admiration and adoration. wishing all you ladies a very happy 'International Women's Day!!Here's to the spirit of womanhood!!cheers!

Kolkata Book Fair '08

Bengali's and book fair is almost a synonym.today i went back to my roots once again as not just the love for books but my roots took me back to the place that most Bengali's [not bongs], consider as their Mecca.

Book fair has lost the grandeur that it used to have almost a decade back.The book fair was started on a small scale in 1976 by the Calcutta Publishers' and Booksellers' Guild.It is the world's largest non-trade book fair, Asia's largest book fair and the most attended book fair in the world. It is the world's third largest annual conglomeration of books after the Frankfurt Fair and the London book fair .it was the first ever kind to be hosted in the south Asian subcontinent now Delhi takes the spotlight for being the host of an international book fair, even though Kolkata was its first pioneer. the reason why one calls the book fair is the very seat of 'Bangaliana' is because in its prime, the book fair used to be the platform where the publishers,the writers, the poets and the artists came together.likes of Sunil Gangopadhay and Satyajit Ray has graced such event. the youth are found huddled together strumming the guitar and sings songs. it is not just a seat for book lovers but the young lover birds unite too under the strong surveillance of the book worms.

The highlights of the book fair is :

• All first editions of books which are released in the fair are housed in a special release gallery.


• The Book Fair has been the annual show for Bengali little magazines since the inception of the fair. The little magazines are now housed in a special dedicated section in the fair.


• From the 1990s, the Calcutta Book Fair also has a special section for budding artists, authors, poets and painters. It is called Montmartre after the Montmartre in Paris.


• It typically has poetry recitals, and live face sketching for patrons by upcoming artists.
  The fair also has a special children's section starting from the 2000s.


• Following the devastating fire of 1997, the food stalls have also shared a common enclave.

A a child i have been initiated to the book fair by my parents but with time, somehow the bond with the book fair had somewhat weakened with time.but i was once again introduced and got acquainted not just with the book fair, in my prime but also to my roots, by none other than Samik. it was he who made me recognize and was responsible for me, to love and take pride in my culture. being convent educated somehow i never really savoured the essence of being a Bengali,i was more of a Christian then, due to my upbringing but then under Samik's guidance i learned to identify with my very culture and not just that revel in my cultural heritage.Bengali's are not just about 'macher jhol' and 'rosogolla', there is a part of us that fails to be captured on screen or in writing.a Bengali has lesser known genius that of Sukumar Ray, the father of the Oscar winner Satyajit Ray, we have Purndas Baul and Gautam Chattopadhya the father of Bengali rock band,we have a PK Ben and the ever lasting East Bengal [the Bangal's from Dhaka] and the Mohan Bagan [Bengali's from kolkata] football match, the battle of the titans, of chingri and eilish. Samik initiated me to this and now i am a proud Bengali.

A Benchmark In INDIAN Cricket!!!

India beat their current favourite enemy the so called world champions, Australia, to sweep the tri series 2-0. as quoted by Saurav Ganguly, the victory is even more sweet because we beat the so called champions at a game they best knew and that to in their soil.beating Australia on their home turf is no mean feat!"

in 1995, Australia beat West Indies ended an era and began a historical other. it took a cocky young brigade to cut the champions to size and point out that's everything in the world is transient that the aura of the invincible Aussies have now come to fade, being faced by young and more aggressive challenger.

Praveen Kmar took 4 crucial wicket to be declared the man of the match,while Ifan Khan leaked runs but took 2 ital wickets in the dramatic last over and Sachin contributed with his bat, though he fell short of another ton and was out at 91. Sachin is now NO.1 ODI batsman dethroning none other than the losing captain Ricky Ponting!

indeed it cant get better than this!

In hope of that golden dawn

Life has started to look a whole scary now.what with march already here,that leaves us just 9 months for entrance exam preparation. now just that i hardly finish the materials on the month when the next set puts up an appearance.phew! class internals and then extra study material and doing chores.life is a lot hectic. maybe lucky are those who spend time idling playing pranks and spending each idyllic afternoon amidst laughter and fun!no i am not envious! though i wouldn't mind relaxing for sometime, but then i have a higher aim to fulfill;fun, frolic and laughter can come later!

i will be applying for 18 departments in over 10 colleges/universities all over India in 2008-09 entrances.i have no clue as to what awaits me but the hope of achieving my dreams keeps makes even this struggle seem worth it. its the rush of adrenalin and drive to slog now for rich dividends that makes me even forget the other hardships that i face.it is all worth it.this college, these so called classmates and the animosity is all transient, one day when i walk out of JU none one these will remain, it will all become a part of memory which time will ruin and like a dream in no time it will fade into oblivion. the good times will just be the reminiscence of happier times and nothing but that!

the dream of studying what i want and doing what i love is my sole motivation now.everything else is trivial and inconsequential!in hope of that golden dawn i move ahead with my head held high as dreams adorn my eyes!

We humans are strange we do whatever we can to fulfill our needs, after all like Darwin had said, it is the struggle for survival and the fittest survives. i agree and accept the theory but then adopting fair or foul means to do so, to me seems extremely degrading, specially if it entails taking advantage of someone.

A wrong doing is wrong,and so is suffering the wrong doing.i have been used conveniently, even though i am no stalwart in academics just plain hardworking, in every possible way only to discard me later. since i was particularly fond of this one 'so called friend' each time i voluntarily let him use me to suit his purpose. but then something snapped within me, after months of being ignored, the day before exam the call comes to explain the contents of the next days exam, i did. despite being told weeks back of the upcoming exam no one bothered, classes as usual were not attended and instead of studying even at 12Th hour people choose to cheat, and when the question proved too tough and the cheating material insufficient then i became the soft target and i allowed such a practice.

It was only after the exam, i realized how this bloke used me.all year i am ignored and not even spoken to [not that i care anyway] but then minutes before the exam ambrosia flowed and i melted but realization soon came to the rescue and i put my foot down not to be involved in any such practices anymore. i did what i thought was right, i rebelled. i don't know what will be the repercussions that will now follow but then what are those friends for who use you in their time of need and otherwise hardly bother about your existence.its better to have less friends than have a crowd of so called friends who don't even deserve to be called a "friend".

Bad Habits!

I have been on my observing spree again and much to the irritation of firefly, who thins I am observing girls[:P] and guys as well[the green eyed monster does put up an appearance just then]I have been actually scrutinizing those around me, observing people, being my favorite pastime and what I found this time was horrendous.

Health and hygiene is such an integral part of our existence. I wonder how people exist without taking a bath, if not soap then just water, at least that can be obtained in abundance! Those who reside in PG's and messes are not just the people who subscribe to such a practice; even residents of the city too sparingly take a take a bath. God! Please have mercy on those who have to bear the atrocious odor emitting from your body, it is sheer politeness that stops us from gifting you with soap and deo's. arrrggghhh!

I wonder if people know the simple etiquettes of just covering their mouth while sneezing or using a hanky for that matter, or saying 'excuse me'. Yesterday i just managed to avoid being rained by a man suffering from flu who has forgotten to cover his mouth while sneezing. This not only is unhygienic it spreads the virus to the other person too...yew!! If this was not enough.. People split anywhere they want; despite having ample dustbins everywhere they choose to drop paper and plastic packets everywhere. Moreover after smoking for safety reasons they merrily ignore stubbing the cigarette ends. Phew!

In buses or in the streets, one of the greatest bad habits that men have is staring at a girl's cleavage [even if she is not baring it all and she is decently dressed]imagine the gall of the mean, despite getting hard glares back from the girl, the men shameless as they are refuse to avert their eyes, girls too at times are responsible for what they bring on them but then there are times, when even if properly dressed men insolently stare. Leaching comes easy to men and so does passing snide and extremely impertinent remarks about women.

one of the greatest bad habits of all times undoubtedly men not just peeing on the roads but scratching and adjusting their crotch in full view of people around!! Yuck!!! Government have made public loo’s and there is a word called privacy why gross people out by settling your underwear in front of them. Trust me! No one wants to see you do it and it really makes them feel pukish. Just imagine guys talking to friends or on the road walking have one hand on their crotch to the horror of the bystanders, how gross is that? Moreover, whenever the natures call arrives a right turn follows and the wall right next to him is sprinkled. Has anyone taught them etiquettes?

for all those who walk on the streets without a care in the world have mercy on those who are totally disgusted and thoroughly repelled by your antics, society maybe be a concrete jungle but we still have decorum and codes of conduct, kindly follow them.

P.S- this is not meant to target any specific group of people but to raise a protest to such bad habits which consciously people should try and get over!