Monday 19 December 2011

Small things matter!


Yesterday morning I left home with my Dad, windows all sealed up, sitting cozily in the warmth of the car, listening to the soft music of songs of the golden era. We were discussing some current issue of rather vital importance (or that is what we thought!). We stopped at a red light. Dad pointed towards a man bathing outside in the chilling cold, lathering himself in soap, pouring the ice cold water from a pump over himself! And he still looked like a contented man, for God's sake!
I don’t know what came over us but forgetting our precautions, we rolled down the windows of our car; let the music blare and drove ahead at full speed! The rush of the cold winds biting my skin, hands going numb and mouths zipped, and a smile on our faces, we enjoyed the rest of the ride much more!:)

Enjoy life as long as it exists! :)
Or as my friend put it…
Life exists as long as u enjoy it! :)

So keeping in spirit with the festive season, here's a toast to life! :)

Saturday 10 December 2011

Rest In Peace.

Yesterday morning Calcutta woke up to another horrifying story! A fire in a hospital! Our domestic help came rushing with news which had already prompted us out of our beds at 6 in the morning! Eyes struck on the television; we heard her first hand review of the situation. She said nearly 200 are trapped inside and a lot feared to be dead. The news hadn't mentioned any casualties. We thought she was exaggerating. She turned out to be right.

This morning I went to see the hospital which is a 15 minute walk from our place. A lot of nearby slum dwellers, who have been applauded for the immense help during the outbreak, were present. Some talking to the police, some with the fire department staff. Nearly 27 hours after the fire broke out, the presence of two fire tenders reminded me of what must have gone on the day earlier. Broken glass, shattered windows, and people speaking in hushed whispers was all that was left of yesterday's tragedy.

To think 90 lives had been lost in the building towering over me, the shadows of whose facade fell over me in the early morning sun sent a chill up my spine. I didn't have the strength to take my cell out and click pictures. I suddenly shuddered to think how reporters and journalists take bytes of the survivors and families of victims, how they see death lower its grip over people and snatch them away. All I could do was stand and stare at how an institution of life turned into a haven of death overnight.

May their souls rest in peace.
And may their families find the strength to live on.

Wednesday 7 December 2011

Sense and Sensibility!

"We have to take care of the sensibilities of the people"
- Kapil Sibal.

Yesterday, yet again, Congress plunged itself into further darkness!
Attempting to censor, no I'm sorry! Attempting to screen content on the
Internet! And through out the press conference he didn't mention even a
single incident where people of this country have reacted violently because
of inflammatory content on the internet!
Oh and can someone please define inflammatory content?! A remark or article
can be inflammatory for some but not for others! For instance, an article
derogating Sourav Ganguly (of whom I'm a big fan!) might not go down well
with me, however for others it can be regarded as a piece of criticism!

When Mr. Sibal says he has to take care of the sensibilities of the people,
I'd like to ask him just one question.  The same people you're so concerned
about are also asking for a Lokpal bill for the past 42 years! What about
that?

The timing of the screening of content also raises question. With Anna Hazare calling people for an open debate in Delhi on the 11th of December and a new series of fasts coming on if the Government doesn't issue a strong Lokpal in the winter session, the social media might once again erupt in support of India Against Corruption! Though Kapil Sibal refuses to accept this reasoning, one cannot deny such a possibility!

Three cheers to Mr. Sibal's sensibilities!

Sunday 27 November 2011

The Indian fixation with film stars!

A few days ago I was at some eatery, waiting for my parcel to be packed, when I overheard a conversation the staff was having. They were talking about a film stars' oncoming visit to Calcutta. This is how it went :

" Shahrukh will be coming to Calcutta!"
"Maybe Salman too," piped in the other.
"Both won't come together. Don't you know they're enemies? Salman and Sanjay (Dutt) are friends.Haven't you seen them hosting?, he explained, referring to Salman and Sanjay's stint together as Bigg Boss hosts.
The other nodded his head knowingly, agreeing to the speculations!

Shocked, smiling to myself, I collected my parcel and went my way with a new realisation. At least the efforts of the paparazzi to spread fantasy stories and rumours of Bollywood don't go waste! Someone, somewhere believes it all!

***

While I was walking today I saw two young boys, dressed in school uniform and bags on shoulder, staring at the posters of a new release 'Desi Boyz'. As I walked past them, I heard them comparing the two posters and declaring which one is John Abraham and which Akshay Kumar. I simply absorbed what I'd just heard and kept walking ahead. Only I know how difficult it was for me to resist turning around to take a picture! ;)

Ever come across such incidents?



Thursday 24 November 2011

The Shades Of Nature

It's been a long time since I've posted something on my blog! Exams and office left me too tired by the end of the day to even think.

But I'm back! :)

And presenting to you a collection of pictures clicked by me over the months...

Depicting "The Shades Of Nature" :

Enjoy! :)






Sunday 13 November 2011

A smile doesn't cost much! :)

One of these mornings on my way to office a school girl was travelling alone on the same bus as mine... Generally school kids take a seat thanks to their heavy bags! This one stood towards the front and kept relaying all of the conductor's shouts of stop, slow down, etc to the driver, which often get lost in the din of the crowd. She was relaying them loud enough for the entire bus to hear! At first I found it irritating but then I got used to her. As her stop approached she told the driver to stop. When the driver started slowing down immediately she said in Bengali, "No, no not here! I'm getting late today! Drop me right in front of my school please!" This brought a smile on the faces of many!

As she was getting down, she went on to say, "Don't drive now, 'people' are getting down", while she was the only one getting down at the stop!

The best part of the entire incident was that after she got down and started walking towards her school, the driver actually slowed down and shouted a bye to her! Looking around perplexed the little girl realized where it came from and waved back to him, ensuring a smiling start to my day! :)


One of those rare incidents which makes me love Calcutta all the more! :)

Sunday 6 November 2011

It's beautiful...

Though I'm not a big fan of Rabindranath Tagore, living in Bengal for the past years has brought me in contact with his writings a lot of times, resulting in distancing me all the more from Tagore. I'd always heard the Bengali version of his songs and poems and I admit I didn't like them much!

However recently I came across a verse written by him, which had been translated in English. It goes as follows :
Through many years,
At great expense,
Journeying through many countries
I went to see high mountains,
I went to see oceans.
Only i had not seen
At my very doorstep,
The dew drop glistening
On the ear of the corn.

A great truth written in such simple words!
Maybe that's one of the reasons he's hailed all around the world! :)

Saturday 29 October 2011

Marketing "magic"!

On the way to office yesterday, a street vendor got on to the bus I was traveling by (which happens pretty often here) to sell little booklets of general knowledge. The way he appealed to the passengers saying these books have information about all things and for all ages was amusing. Citing that his price was cheaper than the Rs. 3 the shopkeepers charged (he was selling it for Rs.2) and that questions from his booklet appear in all sorts of exams caused many passengers to reach for their money bags. He sold it to as many as 6 customers right in front of my eyes, before I started forming this post! He further went on to say that a cup of tea costs more than his bundle of knowledge and that prospective customers can go through the booklet before buying.

Keeping in mind the literacy level of India and the fact that he was a male one can assume he has been to school at some point in his life. But I'm sure he has not had any lessons in marketing unlike most of the educated lot. Still he's good at it, in fact very good.

These wonderful and unusual things keep happening all around us. We need to notice them more often.

Let's keep trying! :)

Sunday 23 October 2011

Elephants have a retirement age now!

The Tamil Nadu forest department framed rules for elephants recently. Elephants in the state will work only five days a week and will retire at the age of 60! They will be given a three-hour bath every day and an annual vacation during the monsoon!

Further, during their last tenure, the Jayalalithaa government had organized an annual health camp for elephants where they were given herbal bath, oil massage and medicinal food!

Isn't this a bit over-enthusiastic and impractical?

Wednesday 19 October 2011

Spellbound!

I came across this ad a few days ago...
I couldn't find a better example of an ad which combines beauty, elegance and simplicity! :)

The background score is one of Mozart's pieces...

It captures your imagination at once!

A job well done, indeed :)

Sunday 16 October 2011

'Why?', I ask...

Why do independent, career-oriented women want their men to be chivalrous and gentlemanly rather than treat them as equals? Why is the guy always expected to pay? Why do people think love is free for women? Why is the burden to run a family still on the man's shoulders? 'Why?', I ask...

Why are women taking the easier way out? Blaming others for the state they are in.
If we don't speak when we have to, work when we deserve to and lead when we need to, the future still seems very bleak!
Of course there are many exceptions to the rule but I hope a time will come when working women are seen as the rule and not the exception.
Genuinely, there is no need for quotas and reservations for women. Such reservations simply underline the fact that women are not considered equal! Its easy acceptance among women surprises me!
It's always been : Behind every successful man, there's a woman. Let's make it : BESIDE every successful man there's a successful woman!
I'm not in anyway insulting men or women. It's often because of a few that the entire clan gets blamed. But if we really want to be treated as equals and not called so, a long stretch needs to be covered!

I accept that in the past it's always men who've taken decisions. Because that is how our society had been. But now when times show glimpses of change, women should grab the opportunity! Yet, today we see many educated women turn to home-making after marriage rather than continuing with their job. Why? The question remains unanswered.


Signing off with the hope that times will change...


Sunday 9 October 2011

Puja Revelry (with a twist!)



With the Pujas in Calcutta coming to an end and the city going in a temporary slumber, I present to you some photos taken in the middle of the night, literally (at 2 am!). Photos which do not feature Maa Durga or the beautifully created pandals of my city.




The crowds seem never-ending as we wait for them to pass our car...


The dogs were also awake at 2! Whether enjoying the Pujas or cursing us humans remains a mystery! ;)
At 3 a.m., work for the next day has already begun for this flower-seller...
Even at 3 am the little girl has the zeal to bounce around the streets of Calcutta


The Puja celebration brings along a lot of mess to clean up



Monday 3 October 2011

To the one who means a lot to me!


This 3rd day of October marks the birthday of someone very close and special to me. Ritika Biyani. I’ve known her since I first joined school and the friendship still continues!  Over the years I’ve seen a lot of friends come and go, but she’s been rock steady.




 
I’ve seen friends fight for stupid reasons, back-bitch, drift apart, walk away. But not us. I hope it remains the same forever. it wouldn’t be wrong to say that she’s more of a family to me…
Ritika, I feel lucky to have shared such a bond with you.


 And thank God you have a sense of humour… otherwise our list of fun moments would have been so few! ;) Don’t bother if others don’t understand your jokes…! They’re missing out on a lot…:p


To my friend of 15 years and my newly-declared step-sister (pun intended!), 




 

 Happy Birthday!







Wish you all the love, success and happiness in the world!
You deserve the best of everything and much more!


Love you loads!




Sunday 25 September 2011

Innovative!

Every year, West Bengal celebrates a festival called Durga Puja, reminiscing how Maa Durga killed Mahishasura, the demon! Come Pujas and Calcutta is filled with pandals. This morning I came across a piece in The Telegraph showing the innovation and creativity people employ to create pandals. Here it is:

Welcome rain for herb worshipper.

Theme-makers across the city may be a worried lot, what with the daily showers jeopardising their preparations for Durga Puja, but Bapai Sen can’t stop grinning. The man from Lake Gardens had made his plans with an eye on the sky. “The more it rains the easier it makes things for me,” he smiles. All the three pandals that he is in charge of have vegetation as their key element. At 64 Palli Puja Parishad, on Manoharpukur Road, he has planted saplings of 80 types of medicinal plants.
“All of them — sandalwood, spinach, rudraksha, brahmi, chirota and nayantara — are growing so well in the rain. I am even growing paddy on slices of bamboo poles on the pandal walls,” he says.
Once a chain-smoker, he had kicked the butt with help from ayurveda. “Extracts of banana leaf and half a spoon of haritaki worked helped me get rid of my addiction.” He will be advertising the benefits of each of the medicinal plants through attached posters at the pandal.
“Did you know Nayantara is good for blood cancer and high blood pressure?” he asks.
At a Moore Avenue puja, he is growing ladies’ finger, pumpkin and other vegetables to depict rural Bengal. It is here that the rain is helping him the most. At Chittaranjan Smriti Mandir, near Kadamtala, he has grown a field of paddy. “The iron content in the Howrah water is too high. The rain water is working better,” he says.



I hope after reading this, not only will you enjoy looking at the pandals but also appreciate the labour which goes into making the Pujas a success! :)

Tuesday 20 September 2011

'Tricks' of the trade!

After I came back from work today, I ended up watching the climax of an Amitabh-Shashi Kapoor starrer, Suhaag.One thing that struck me was --- the way every Hollywood film has to have a superhero, alien or extinct and mythological creatures, every Bollywood film's climax will have the following points :
  • The hero will come to save his mother/lover from the villian's clutches! (Somehow he'll always know where the villian is, and reach just in the nick of time!)
  •  The hero has to, he just has to deliver dialogues before firing at the villians! And by then someone or the other will kick the gun out of his hand!
  •  No matter how injured our hero is, he will keep fighting till the end! In Suhaag, Amitabh was shot a bullet in his shoulder, still he fought. Inspite of the injures on his arm he then hung on to a helicopter for nearly 5 minutes!  Stronger than Superman!
  • The film has to end on a happy note, well mostly, where the family is together and the villians are most certainly dead or sentenced to jail!
  • And now in the last scene, we tend to show that the police force also exists! ;)
Wanna add something...?

Thursday 15 September 2011

Love sans luck (part 2)

All three went up to the classroom they’d been allotted. Some were waiting for Natasha, some getting ready, some reciting their lines. But the moment the trio entered, all eyes were on Natasha.
Nisha called out to everyone. “I want all you guys to get into the search right now. Divide yourself into groups. I’ll…”
“Wait, the actors aren’t ready yet. So you have no one from the cast who’ll be free. No not even Natasha, Nisha”, a fashion-designing student who was involved with the costume and make-up department interrupted.
“Ok, fine I won’t take the cast. I’ll go and speak to the school’s student coordinator. Lets see if he can help us.”
Personally, Nisha was happy she didn’t have to involve Aakash into this.

She came after a few minutes with some JIS students. Within those few minutes Natasha realized the gravity of the situation. They had to find the pug within the next thirty minutes. And the school was definitely huge. There was no way they could find him in such a short time. He could have gone anywhere.

This was all Shruti’s fault. She couldn’t take care of a pug? How could the pug just vanish? Hadn’t she kept it on the chair in front of her? The students had already gone for the search. Natasha knew the job was in the right hands. She could trust Nisha when it came to managing things. Natasha was getting ready for the play. Ten minutes had already passed. There was no sign of anyone from the team. She was getting frantic now. She just wanted to get up and go out in search of her pug. However she still had to get her make-up done before she was free. She was staring at the door waiting for some news to come her way. Instead she saw Aakash coming in. He didn’t look as if he was ready; then her eyes met his. She felt as if he wanted to tell her something but was resisting. That was momentary. The minute he turned away, things were back to normal. The anxiety, anticipation, frenzy — it all returned.
Just then Shruti came up to Natasha. She was all dressed up for the play to the last touches of make-up.

“Hey Natasha, I’m sorry. I didn’t know this would happen. I’d left him on the chair like we always do. I didn’t bother to tell anyone else because I knew I wouldn’t be gone for more than two minutes. The student coordinator had called me to tell me about the entry and exit points of the stage. In the meanwhile the pug must have jumped down. Looks like he’s growing up! I’m really sorry for what’s happened. But I’m sure they’ll find him before the play begins. Oh! Look here they are...”

Natasha saw the entire ‘rescue team’ come in. She closed her eyes, crossed her fingers and then said with eyes still shut tight, “I hope its good news, guys.” There wasn’t any reply. Mentally preparing herself to face the worst, she opened her eyes. Nisha was standing in front of Natasha with the pug in her hands. Natasha leapt with joy! Beaming with happiness she cuddled the pug. The pug started whining and licking her face. She was so happy she gave Nisha a huge hug! They found her pug! After all JIS was so large and the pug so naughty and curious.

And then suddenly it was all crystal clear to her. Aakash coming in — the entire team arriving together — no one mentioning who found the pug. She looked at Aakash. He was standing aside looking at the celebrations with a smile of satisfaction on his face. Everyone was taking turns to cuddle the pug as if it was the trophy of the drama event! He didn’t know what was coming his way. She went up to Aakash. He looked at her and started going away. She held his wrist.
“Why did you have to do this to me?”
Confused, he asked, “What?”
“Why did you have to find my pug for me?”
“I don’t know what you are talking about.”
“I’ve been trying my best to ignore you, to hate you, to forget you and you suddenly come up and do this for me.” She started sobbing. Everyone was looking at them. She knew it but didn’t care. “Who the hell told you to be so kind to me? What do you think of yourself? …”

Aakash pulled her into his arms. “Enough Natasha, not any more. I’ve seen you suffering for the past two weeks. Not any more. I don’t know why I did it. Probably I wasn’t in my right mind. I am sorry for what you had to go through because of me. I know sorry is a very small word but I don’t know what else can compensate for the trauma.”
“Please Aakash can we just forget what’s happened? It’s been a nightmare for me.”
“Just promise her that you won’t do this to her ever again”, piped in Nisha voicing the entire group’s feelings!
“I never will I swear. But if by chance I do it again, give me a good spanking, guys!”
“This is for even thinking of doing it again”, said Natasha giving him a light spank on his cheek. “Ok, enough of this drama. I think we should get back to the original play! Ten minutes to go. Every one get ready,” announced Nisha, still laughing!
Natasha returned to her usual spirit within a matter of few minutes. Her cheerfulness soon radiated to everyone. The play went off brilliantly. Everyone gave their very best. Natasha, who’d been good during the rehearsals acted beautifully, par everyone’s expectations! The cast had only one worry. They had a feeling that they probably hadn’t been very good in the sad parts of the play because of the high spirits they were in! They came third! However standing backstage, hand-in-hand with Aakash, Natasha had no regrets about coming third. Because she’d won her trophy even before the play began!

Aakash walked away towards the dressing room in a huff.  Natasha followed him to comfort him. Looked like Aakash had taken the loss to his heart. He was standing by the windowsill looking out.
“Hey it’s okay, Aakash. C’mon, we’ve come third! It’s not that bad after all. And the judge did say that we lost the second position by just a whisker.”
When Aakash didn’t reply or even look at her, she put a comforting hand on his shoulder. He pushed her hand away.

“Listen Natasha, whatever I said before the play began was a lie. I just wanted you to be in a good mood so that the six weeks of hard work and dedication of the entire group does not go waste on the stage today. You were our lead actress and if you would give an okay-ish performance then our chances would have definitely been nil. So in short we’d broken-up and we still remain broken-up. Whatever I said, whatever I did was all for the group’s sake and for the sake of their success.”

Aakash left the room leaving Natasha’s heart filled with anger and disgust but her eyes tearless…

Tuesday 13 September 2011

Love sans luck (part 1)

This is the very first story I had written... I hope you like it :)
 

She was heartbroken. He’d dumped her. It had been two weeks but she still couldn’t believe it. After all she’d known Aakash for two years now. He’d started staying aloof, not calling her up, not responding to her SMSes. She thought maybe it’s just a phase, maybe he was worried about something he couldn’t share and she gave him time but then this bombshell dropped. Sitting in one corner of the room, stroking her pug unconsciously, she was looking out at the grounds of Jain’s International School (JIS), thinking about the old happy times, when she realized that tears were rolling down her cheeks. She wiped them hurriedly and looked around to see if any of the others had noticed. Yes, someone out there had. Nisha was glaring at her.

Nisha came up but when she looked at Natasha up close she softened. Nisha and Natasha were the best of friends. They’d known each other since they were kids. She sat down beside her and held her hand. She knew what Natasha was thinking about. Natasha’s eyes were searching for Aakash. She saw him reciting his part of the play, looking down now and then to catch a word. She wanted to go and help him with his lines like she did earlier but she knew that wasn’t possible. Since their break-up, Natasha hadn’t approached Aakash. She hadn’t even bothered to ask him for a reason. How could she when she still couldn’t believe that it had happened? During the rehearsals she would just go and enact her part of the play and not involve herself much. She wasn’t the old cheerful Natasha. The entire group would try to cheer her up and yet give her time to gather the pieces. They desperately wanted the old Natasha back. Such was their bond!

“Natasha let’s go down to the grounds for sometime. Don’t worry there’s still about an hour for the play. You can come up and do your make-up, rather a touch of your make-up!” Natasha smiled. Natasha was playing the part of Fanny Price, a girl with no extraordinary beauty but a golden heart who lived life in a simple way.
They’d come to JIS to participate in an inter-school drama event. They were doing a modern adaptation of the famed Jane Austen novel Mansfield Park. They had tried to fit the entire novel within the ten-minute time slot. The important and more dramatic events where emotions ran high, audiences could be captivated, some humourous or interesting sequences wren being enacted by them and the rest was being narrated by Nisha between the acts. For the past six weeks the group had given it their all. Be it dialogues, costumes or even make-up, it had been approved by all. The only reason why they’d called it a modern adaptation was because they couldn’t get costumes of that era! Apart from costumes and sets each element of the play was as close as possible to the novel. Natasha’s pug had been kept to retain the closeness of the adaptation with the novel! The pug had been Natasha’s seventeenth birthday gift from her dad and it was very special to her! The entire cast knew how Natasha loved it!

“The pug?” Natasha asked. But Nisha had already picked it up and was going towards Shruti. She handed over the pug to Shruti and said a few words to her. Shruti looked towards Natasha and smiled as if encouraging her to go ahead with the plan. The group obviously knew about her break-up. They tried their best to behave normally with both of them. And Natasha was thankful to them for this. Because she couldn’t bear to see people chiding Aakash for whatever wrongs he’d done. Even now she couldn’t bear it!

Natasha and Nisha went down to the grounds admiring the small flowerbeds as they passed by. Even Natasha couldn’t stop herself from showering a few words of praise. The grounds of JIS did lift her spirits, though not for long!

Shruti came running towards them. “Natasha I have bad news! We can’t find your pug. No don’t shout at me! Please.” She said it all in one breath. Natasha opened her mouth to say something, but this time both Nisha and Shruti spoke together, “No, please don’t shout!” Natasha couldn't hep smiling at their frenzy!


To be continued...;)

Saturday 10 September 2011

A salute to our city's police!

A resident of south Calcutta, this morning I heard a loud bang downstairs and I immediately rushed to my window overlooking the road! A truck had collided with a passenger bus. By the look of it, it seemed like it was the truck’s fault. Like it always happens, the passengers, conductor and pedestrians all gherao-ed the truck and demanded that the truck driver come out, blocking the roads entirely! I was about to get back to my work, assuming that the fight below would turn into nothing less than a brawl, when out of the blue I saw two traffic sergeants approaching the scene. By then, the truck driver was literally being heckled by the crowd. My fears for the truck driver subsided when the sergeants intervened, took the truck driver aside, heard the plight of the conductor and passengers and asked the bus driver to make way for others. Within minutes, the traffic snarl had vanished. But on the sidelines, the sergeants were carrying out on the spot verification of the papers of the truck and license of the truck driver. By the time, I relayed the entire story to Dad, who’d joined me by then, the roads were all clear. No police, no bus driver, no truck driver.
Over the past few days, the police of Calcutta have been very alert and on the go. There has been a definite change in the force and it can be seen. Today’s incident just instills more confidence in me!
A salute to all those who man the city and try to make it a safe place! :)

Wednesday 7 September 2011

Beautifully painted!


My dad says, since a very young age I caught the habit of reading bill boards and shop names. Whenever we used to go out, I would read out all the names and phrases to him. The habit seems to have stuck on! :)
And it led to me to a new realization....

In some parts of my city, I have noticed that the signboards of the shops are still painted instead of sporting neon-lit boards. Something which used to be so common 2-3 decades ago, now has to be searched for. You might feel I’m weird or out-dated, but I personally like the painted signboards more than the modern ones. The modern ones mostly lack creativity and their sole purpose I think is to make the shop’s name visible in the dark too! The hand-painted signs exude craftsmanship, charm, creativity and add a personal touch. Of course they have to be beautiful too, and not just painted!…:)

I clicked some I came across in Calcutta… Found other nice ones on the net…

Check it out…

















Sunday 4 September 2011

It's all in the mind!

A fortnight ago, while I was waiting for an interview for my articleship, in the lobby of a firm my mind was full of apprehensions and dilemma! The regular chaos which comes before we face anything new... Clouds of doubt overcame my thoughts... How would the work be, my colleagues, my seniors, the work culture... While I was waiting for my turn, I realized that the long wait led my mind from nervousness to to impatience. by the time I was called in, I was surprisingly nerve-free because my mind had been diverted from frenzy and fear to boredom and frustration.
What I'm trying to say is it's all in our mind! The anticipation, fear, nervousness... The negative response to anything new... We don't wait to experience the change, rather we think of the worst possible situations which might happen! It happens... Happens to a lot of people... What we need to understand is that whether the change will be good or bad for us all depends on us! It's all in our hands... If we respond to the change properly and adjust ourselves to it, with the drive to make our life worth living come what may, how blissful it would all be!
If it's happened to you, don't worry you aren't alone! It's human nature to be wary of changes, but then it's also human nature to try and overcome our weaknesses. Next time you are all nervous, with butterflies flitting in your stomach by the dozen, take a moment out for yourself, inhale some deep breaths and remember it's all in our hands. What you make out of your life, depends on you. Every one has weaknesses. But all of us have strengths too! :)

Wednesday 31 August 2011

Time Travel...

As time flies, and we grow up, people come and go .... But why is it that some people leave behind a lot more than memories...?
They maybe friends, relatives, lovers! The minute you think about them a strange feeling descends upon you... You feel happy and sad at the same time. Happy that you spent such lovely times with them and sad because they left you... No matter how hard you try to console yourself or claim that you can live without them, your armour is bound to have holes!
People I know have all gone through this phase time and again, when out of the blue, they missed a loved one sorely! It comes and goes... Like a friend says, it's human to have feelings and getting carried away with them once in a while...:) (While another one is still trying to locate her own emotions!)
I'd heard Abhishek Bachchan once say in an interview, "Don't cry that it is over, smile that it happened!"
Next time you feel down, recall this line. It helps :)




To be honest, I was feeling the same way some time ago, which explains why I wrote this! But now I'm fine :)

See...
The feeling comes and goes but the memories stay on forever... :)

Tuesday 30 August 2011

Clicks!


 Every cloud does have a silver lining! :)





 Who would have thought that shaking hands can lead to such a picture! ;)


Friday 26 August 2011

Old is, indeed, gold!

Yesterday, while travelling to college by bus, with lots of stuff in my hands, I had the least bit of support to help me balance myself while the driver swerved the bus through the lanes of Calcutta. My mind suddenly reeled back to the times when my friends and I used to play a game called 'Balance' in our school bus on the way back. The rules were simple. The girl who managed to stand in the moving bus for the longest period of time, without touching the seats or supporting herself in any other manner, would win!
Little did we know it would help us so much later on, while travelling through public transport!!! What fun those days were...

Over the past year, so many things changed in the lives of so many I know. School ended. College started. We made new friends. Tried to keep up the promises of old friends. We became busy. Priorities changed. People changed.

Still, whenever I come across a school friend, the innocent days of school life takes over for the moment! It's instantaneous. More so for me. Because I spent fourteen beautiful years of my life in the same school, among the same set of friends. Believe it or not, but we have seen each other grow. Literally! Some we might remember, some we might not. Some we love, some we hate! But it's all a part of our lives!

Those were days when the whole class knew you, and you knew the whole class. But in college! I don't think apart from examination days I've even seen all of them in one room at the same time!

To all my school friends, I still love you all! Even though we might not talk, we might not meet, we might not even think about each other, but I'll always cherish you!

And to all the new friends I've made on the way... I hope to see you turn into gold :)

Wednesday 24 August 2011

'Crackling' ads!

Two ad jingles which have created waves among the Indian audience in the past few days are the Airtel 'Har ek friend' and HeroMotocorp's 'Hum mein hai hero'...




In recent times, the ads being dished out to the masses are going up the creativity ladder! Take for example Vodafone zoozoo or the Tata Steel ads saying 'This is not advertising, It's life at Tata Steel. Values stronger than Steel.'
There are lots of other ads which have caught people's attention...






Which ad has caught your attention recently?...

Sunday 21 August 2011

Thrown back in the past!

There are times when I feel life was so much simpler and sweeter 50 years ago...

I had one of those moments a few days ago.A general chit-chat among friends got steered towards the topic of crushes. Excitement and giggles reigned for the next half hour! However what struck me was, even a smile or two towards a girl or  small talk  between a boy and girl gets pronounced as crush by many! And it's nearly compulsory for every girl to have a crush on someone. How beautiful were those times when a girl used to blush demurely on seeing the guy who liked her!
Today if a girl turns you down whatever may be the reason, many guys don't tend to accept it gracefully. What else can explain the rising killings by ex-flames and stalkers? What happened to giving your all for the girl you love? So what if she doesn't love you back? She has the right to say no!...


Have you had any such moments?... Ever missed the innocence of the yesteryears?

Saturday 20 August 2011

Man's best friend! :)

A rare moment captured on the streets of Calcutta!

Beautiful, isn't it?...

Friday 19 August 2011

Tihar Jail to Ramlila Maidan!

As I stare at the television, following the release of Anna Hazare, my heart swells with pride on seeing Dr. Kiran Bedi, encouraging people with slogans and patriotic songs, urging them to chant for a JanLokpal Bill, on the Ramlila grounds. For me it's like an Independence Day celebration continuing forever! Because frankly, as far as I can remember, the only days I've seen people feeling patriotic or heard songs like 'Ae mere watan ke logo' and 'Vande Mataram' being played in public is on 26th January and 15th August! Sad, but true.
 Once Anna's protest had been given a green light yesterday, I thought the crowds would now decrease and the support movement built up all across the country would fade away. How wrong had I been! It's gathering pace rather than slowing down!
This morning, the famed dabbawallas of Mumbai announced a strike in support of Anna! What further proof does one need of the nation-wide unity? The dabbawallas who braved the massive floods of 26/7 or who fed the city while mourning for a 26/11, and have never stopped working since they started in 1880, decided to call a day off!
As Anna moves from Tihar to Ramlila, people are coming out in hundreds to follow him and move with him to Ramlila. According to the estimate of a leading news channel, the crowd stretches to almost 2 kilometer! I'm glad I was wrong...
Meanwhile the Government is still trying to figure out how to save themselves from their imminent doom! The Congress says they want to remove corruption from India too and are working towards it. Can they please enlighten us on why do we have A Raja and Suresh Kalmadi in Tihar Jail? Who had thought that the party who has in its history seen leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru and Indira Gandhi would try to curb public demand in such a way? While figuring out how to control the damage done, they're further going deep into the mess by trying to break the civil society along communal lines and by dropping hints about Anna being supported by USA and RSS!
When will they realize that the only thing we Indians care about right now is an Act, which will help India curb corruption?



Are you with Anna Hazare?

Wednesday 17 August 2011

And the battle continues!

From the minute I've woken up today, the only thing I remember doing most is following the news of Anna Hazare! Before leaving for college, Anna, after returning, Anna! And it has been everything but boring!
Though the proceedings were slow, the battle in the Parliament where the Opposition literally tore into the Government was a common man's delight! The processions, rallies and candle light marches all over India kept me glued to the screens, while my mind kept thinking what it must have been like during the pre-Independence era when there was no live coverage of the movements. The media has to be praised and thanked for the constant support they're providing to Team Anna.
The police also have been standing  by looking at the crowds ahout slogans. It leads one to think that 'Does having Kiran Bedi on their side, help Team Anna so much?'
A lot has been said,  heard and written about the Government's clampdown which backfired horribly. But the one line which sums up the Government's miscalculated steps was said by Arun Jaitely in the Parliament today — This is what happens when so many lawyers advise the Prime Minister!
Very-well phrased, indeed!
With the support for Anna rising with every passing second, let's join in and do our bit for the nation...

Tuesday 16 August 2011

Heart-breaking or heart-warming?

As I sit back and go over the shocking proceedings of the day, a thought crosses my mind... Does the Anna Hazare movement and the Government's reaction to it, create a heart-breaking scene or a heart-warming one?
Any person who's following the movement will definitely have an opinion!
It saddens one to see the Government, whom we had elected, misuse their powers greatly. All laws and promises of being democratic were defied when Anna was arrested from his home at eight in the morning! Little had the Government thought that India would react in such a manner! Protests and courting arrests became the way of the day. As the day progressed, our 'honourable' ministers started coming forward to say that Anna and the Government are both against corruption and that they are willing to talk to Team Anna! Mind you, all through the day, not one quote from the Prime Minister! One of the ministers even dared to say that peaceful protests  are allowed. If only he could give one instance where the Anna - led movement had turned violent! Had they even allowed the movement to start?
As the day nears its ending, things turn worse for the UPA! The police is ready to release Anna and his team as well as supporters. Even though it's too early to tell, but the Government seems to be buckling under pressure, pressure from the 1.2 billion citizens!
What will follow only time can tell, but at present seeing India unite and rise, does light a ray of hope in our bleak future!

The Beginning...

Finally after hours of thinking, speculating and oscillating between yes and no, I created my own blog!
Now I can write about anything I want and reach out to people who love to read!
Feel free to appreciate, criticise, support or expand my opinions.
Welcome to the 'Writer's Loft'!

Cheers to a new beginning!