Friday 21 December 2012

To sin by silence when we must protest makes cowards of men.


Is the world ending today?

Metaphorically it's nearing the end.

Because a girl doesn't feel safe of venturing out anymore. Because getting on a wrong bus can have as dangerous results as getting raped. Because the world doesn't stop to help you reach a hospital. Because you are treated like a rag doll by not just the ones who raped you but also by others who blame you for the rape. Because the police still hasn't caught the absconding cowards. And to top it all, this happened in the streets of the capital of India. I have no remorse in saying that humanity has ended.

And I say I have no remorse because we get enough of it from our politicians, police, carriers of justice and the countless other people in society who simply express remorse on every incident of assault carried not on any man or woman in this country. We are done with your sympathies.

Oh! And sympathies? Let's not get into it.

Our police and politicians issue warnings to women.

Don't go out at night!
Don't travel alone!
Don't wear clothes which may even be slightly inappropriate!

Somehow it is always construed to be the woman's fault.

Instead of blaming us for it all, do you people mind taking any steps to improve the society we are living in, to implement our laws effectively so that not even one of these social menaces dare harm us.

And I'm not saying only the men of our society have lost all shame and empathy.

Just today, while our teacher was announcing a candlelight march as a mark of silent protest during our tuition hours, I overheard this conversation :

Girl 1 -  What is he talking about?
Girl 2 - A march for the Delhi rape victim.
Girl 1 - Was she a CA student?
Girl 2  - No.
Girl 1 - Then why is he bothering us?

I have no words to express what I felt then.

It is time we did something about it. Yes, we. We, as humans, and not as the public, politicians, police, army men, but we as humans need to revive the humanity we seem to have lost.

It is never the wrong time to do the right thing.

But literally, will the world end or not? More than that should it or shouldn't it?

Sunday 16 December 2012

Just when you lose hope...


It was a normal working day. Nothing special. Except that it was his birthday. His first birthday away from home. His first birthday when he couldn’t share the joy of spending one more year with his loved ones. Calls poured in all day long. Yet he felt all the more away, all the lonelier, and all the more alone. Time to go back home he thought as he started putting his papers back in place.
His cell beeped. His roommate would be back late. His meeting had been delayed which meant birthday celebrations at home stood canceled. Great!
“Hey Abhinav! All packed? Lets go. I’ll drop you home” Gaurav said.
Gaurav was more of a friend than colleague. “Sumedha’s waiting downstairs” he said referring to his wife.
On the way home they stopped at a newly opened restraint.
“Happy birthday!” Sumedha wished him from behind the wheel, while Gaurav handed Abhinav a gift.
“What’s this guys?”
“Just to make you feel all the more special”
“Come we’re having dinner together, the treat’s on us.”
From the next hour Abhinav felt like he was almost home.
Yet when they dropped him off, he couldn’t help feeling lonely again. To ward off going to an empty home, he decided to take a small walk.
He called up his mother.
“Hi mom, what are you doing?”
“Happy birthday! We were just done with dinner.”
“No cake for dinner this year?” he asked, forlorn.
“We’ll definitely have some when we meet! I’ll bake your favorite chocolate cake. Where are you by the way? You haven’t reached home yet? Still working?”
“No mom! I’m done with dinner. Went out with Gaurav & Sumedha. Just out for a walk right now. I’m missing…”
“Abhi, I’ll call you back, wait” and the line disconnected
“I love you mom. I miss you all a lot.” he said, staring at the phone.

With heavy legs and a heavier heart, he walked back to his place. Climbing up the stairs, he saw one of his fellow residents being greeted by his children, the warmth and love of a family pouring out of their place. Waving towards the father, he trudged along the stairs and put his key into the lock. Opening the door, he switched on the lights of his place and was greeted by shrieks of “Happy Birthday!”

Shocked, he banged the door shut! He couldn’t believe his eyes! His eyes welled up with tears as he stood looking at his family. His girlfriend stood nearby holding out the chocolate cake for him.

He had never been happier!

Monday 26 November 2012

Necessity may not be the mother of inventions!



The world is in serious need of some more inventions! We need something more. Something which will blow your minds off.

- Firstly and most urgently I, sorry we, we all need such a pair of spectacles which glow in the dark. How else do I see where I’ve kept my specs! Oh and once you manage glow in the dark, please go for glow in the light! C'mon I need to find them in the day also!

- Ok then I’ll need an invention which can help me alter the storyline of the daily soaps we see. So then I can make Meredith Grey marry Derek before having to wait for another season. Then I can give Castle more punch lines and bickering and lesser heartbreaks! And yes I’ll make those lead females in Hindi soaps cry lesser!


- And can you scientists or believers of magic, to whoever this applies, can you please make the flying car real? Not because we want to catch up on missed trains, though JKR's idea was brilliant, as always! But because, the roads in Calcutta seem to be narrowing and the volume of cars expanding. And the absence of too many skyscrapers will also be easy on the flying machines.

- Lastly, and on a less serious note (oh ya, I'm dead serious about the above requisitions!) can we, just if it's possible have moving pictures in our newspapers? Yes, this is inspired from JKR. I'm simply putting in a request for her idea! Big fan of the Harry Potter and the Daily Prophet, you see.


Do you want any inventions? Put it up! You never know, someone somewhere might just start working on it! Cuz someone once told me, 'You just have to believe that it's possible.'

Oh, and I'd like to thank two of my special friends, Shradha and Radhika, for missing my blog posts and inspiring me to write more often. I'll try harder girls! Promise! 




Saturday 24 November 2012

Does it bring closure?

Arnab Goswami asked on Times Now, does Kasab's hanging bring closure to the ones affected by 26/11?

Does it really?

I don't think so.

When Osama Bin Laden was killed, it brought closure to the whole of America. Obama was hailed worldwide and his forces saluted. A victory was celebrated.

When news of Ajmal Kasab being hanged gained momentum, there was a flurry of reactions ranging from 'Finally?', 'Are you sure?' to 'Sure it was not a natural death?'. Perhaps we'd gotten so used to seeing our Government spend crores on him, we couldn't imagine him dead.

For the past four years, the families of the victims had to live with the horror of seeing the Indian Goverment protecting Kasab, reading out human rights to him, lawyering him up and treating him more humanely than he ever treated any person on that fateful day.

Hats off to our Government for treating Kasab as an equal finally and sentencing him as per the law. But it hurts to see that the same Indian Goverment curbs on our basic human rights of speech and expression.
(Case in point - recent arrests of cartoonists for drawing the flak of politicians.)
(Further case in point -  arrest of two girls for having criticised the mass upheaval in Mumbai on Bal Thackeray's death.)

How can a country which has been seeing injustice happening for four years achieve sudden closure at a death which should have and could have happened long ago?

No, Arnab. The hanging does not bring closure.

The real closure will come when we as citizens of India can instill faith in the ones who lead us, not rule us.

Thursday 15 November 2012

Think differently post-Diwali!

Between Diwali and Durga Puja, the essence of festivities nearly died for me, what with me slogging in the office for nearly 12 hours a day!  But with Diwali here and gone there are so many small things which we do only once a year, which define Diwali for me, at least. Of course, bursting crackers defines Diwali for many, the Puja matters the most to others, but think differently and you'll realize the small things matter too!


  • Making the rangoli! At first taking the lead because you want to make a bright and beautiful one. And then with the evening of the D-Day approaching, requesting all family members to put in a hand so that it just gets over!
 
 

  • Painting the diyas! Many of us have stopped doing that, but trust me, that one day always allows you to be creative and splash colours the way you want! It just has to look good always. And it does look good always. Unless you have the penchant to really screw things up!
 
 
  • Wax candles! Not all of us make those at home, but if you did, you'd realize that in those moments when you're required to sit absolutely still, holding the wick in the molten wax, you will recall the silliest jokes and even a simple line can seem double-meaning and will make you shake with silent laughter!

  • And lastly, spring cleaning in autumn! I love those days when you can spend hours cleaning your room when in reality you're poring over old pictures and reliving your school days when life was less complicated!

What defines your Diwali?!

Wednesday 24 October 2012

Durga Puja fervour in Calcutta!


It was 4:30 in the morning. The birds hadn’t even started chirping. Something disturbed my sleep. I awoke with a start. I could hear the dhak (drum beats). Durga Puja had arrived!


Covering my ears with the pillow, to muffle out the sound, I tried sleeping again, a smile on my face.
The Pujas had come! The next five days Calcutta would swirl and dance in the revelry of worshipping the Goddess, the city would shine bright through the night, people from the nearby towns would come to visit, sell, and soak themselves in the merriment!

One could see people anywhere, anytime! At 7 am, there’re people on the road. At 1 pm, again people. At 10 pm, still there! At 3 am, no the crowd doesn’t thin out!
These five days — dusk or dawn, morning or evening, noon or midnight – you just couldn’t make out the difference. The city didn’t sleep!
On the few tours made of the various pandals (temporary bamboo structures to house the Goddess), it was hard to miss that the traffic police personnel were having a tougher time manning the crowds than the vehicles!

One of the parks near my place had set up rides along with the pandal. Giant wheel was the hot choice! Not only did it give me the much needed adrenalin rush, but when I looked towards the sky, while my capsule was on the upward journey, I could almost feel myself reaching out to touch the moon. Those few minutes symbolized freedom more than anything! And then came the reality check. As soon as I stepped out of the dark and seldom used back gate of the park, I saw myself staring at a family of a mother and two children. Lying on the footpath, with tattered blankets barely covering them, the mother was trying to put her children to sleep amidst the din of celebrations in the land beyond!

The Pujas mix all hues of reality and of the realms beyond. They mean a lot of things to a lot of people, but to me it’s the time when my city looks and feels surreal!

The Pujas define Calcutta, its old-world charm, its people, its warmth, its serenity, its culture, its madness, everything!

As I sit here writing this, the roads outside are unusually silent! I hear the distant drum beats occasionally as the idols are being taken to the Ganges for immersion, marking the end of Pujas. A year to go, before She comes again!

May the Goddess bless us all!

Thursday 18 October 2012

Film-bound!


Did I tell you guys I spend a lot of time catching up on films when I need a break from office and studies?
I don't really like those trashy-without-a-story-line films though. Last week I saw the Paresh Rawal-starrer, Akshay Kumar-supported OMG: Oh My God! And the film’s name couldn’t have contained my reactions in a better way. The sublime yet effective impact the film had on the audience is applaudable. If you still haven’t seen it, watch it not for it’s tremendous script, the beautiful thought, the superb acting, Akshay’s stunning entry! No don’t watch it for any of this. Watch it for yourself, to take a much-needed and highly likable break.

And when it comes to watching films which become memorable, how can I forget these:


  • Lage Raho Munnabhai - A film which changes the portrayal of Gandhi in all our minds! 
  • Aamir - The common man always lives the hard way.
  • A Wednesday - Don't underestimate anyone. No one.
  • Kahaani - A thriller in the true sense. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned!
  • Vicky Donor - Charity begins at home. Maybe not always!
  • Taare Zameen Par - Not the best film to watch when you want to relax, but one of those best ones when it comes to emotional connect and content.
Coming Soon : Memorable English films! At all theaters near you!

P.S. : Just got an invite for another film! ;)

Friday 5 October 2012

The Last Time?


Sitting up there in the clouds,
Well, nearly forgotten,
 They must be wondering what we are at,
Doing all but enjoying.


They seem to be questioning,
When was the last time you stopped,

To hear the rustle of the winds,
The pleasant cacophony of the birds,
To feel the breeze blow through your strands,


To see the hues in the sky,
The flowers all around,


The kitten meowing at you,
The dogs playing with their puppies,
The thirsty crow drinking water,
The pigeons in a cat fight,
The leaves falling in winter,
The new ones sprouting in spring,


The 50 shades of green,
The rain pattering on the windows,
The rainbows thereafter?


When was the last time you stopped?
They're still wondering.


Thursday 20 September 2012

Nostalgia haunts!



There was a time when school friends used to drag me in the rain and I used to enjoy the drops of water falling all over me! A soaked-to-the-skin trip home would be met with the ire of mother. And today I prefer to roll up the car windows when it rains!



While passing by a school church today, with the morning mass bell chiming along, I was swarmed with thoughts of our morning assembly in school. And then after so long I witnessed the adjoining school assembly going on, from the corridors of my college.



While attending a very boring lecture in college the other day, I noticed that the lecturer was rocking back and forth while reading her notes. So bored was I that I traveled two years into the past to a soft skills course I'd taken, where our Sir used to constantly reprimand us for moving too much while addressing an audience! you can very well imagine how boring the lecture was! And Zubin Sir, see I still remember what you taught us!


And the reason for nostalgia hitting me in the middle of September (a peak pressure period for the ones in the CA profession!), is that today after a long, long time Calcutta's seen a bandh, meaning an off-day from office and work! How I miss these bandhs which were a regular feature until the new government came a year ago! 

All nostalgic, waiting for another off-day to come my way! Actually even a holiday on Sunday would do!


P.S : I know I haven't been regular this month with my blog posts and I'm sorry people, but there has been just no time at all! See you post-September! Or maybe before (hopefully)!


What do you miss most?!

Friday 7 September 2012

'Torn!' Need I say more?


Love the work you do.
Love your life more.
Love your close ones most.
Don't let the ones who matter most, walk away!


Torn!


Torn between my love and life,
The winds of passion against me,
Responsibility keeps pulling me down,
While my love walks out the door.

Frustrated, devastated
Nowhere to go; bound to work,
I walk down the memory lane.
Her laughter, her freshness, her passion, her free will,
Make me resent her absence.

I wish I had stopped her,
I wish I had heard her,
Though we may not have agreed,
I wish I had spoken to her.

My work had become my life,
I had simply expected her to stay.
Not realizing that as days passed,
My love had become her life. 

Sunday 26 August 2012

The Bucket List!

One of these days, while surfing on the internet, I came across a bucket list on www.richardcastle.net. And his bucket list is really, really cool! Richard Castle, by the way, is a fictional character, played by Nathan Fillon on the hit series Castle.

For those who've been caught unawares, bucket list is a sort of to-do list you want to complete before you kick the bucket (die, in the morose sense, if that's what you prefer.)!

My bucket list, or rather what I could compile as of now is :


  • Sky diving! Bungee jumping too!
  • Lighting a sky lantern!
  • Painting the Indian flag on my cheeks and cheering for India! Go India!
  • Get my dad to join me on the giant wheel! Should this be on his bucket list or mine?
  • Reading all the Archie comics! I still don't know whether Archie married Betty or Veronica! He did get married, right? 
  • Ok. Find out if Archie got married!



I'll be back with more!

Till then put up your list, fellas!

Sunday 19 August 2012

The Monsoon Drama!


Did you know carrying an umbrella is an art? It’s worthy of being practiced to attain perfection! You don’t believe me, do you?


This monsoon rains have been so infrequent and imbalanced with a vast array of diseases striking the city, that every little drizzle makes you whip out the umbrella! Gone are the days when we used to prance about in the rains and deliberately forget our umbrellas at home!

  • For starters, like me, carrying an umbrella atop your head and handling a side bag along with making sure that you don’t land in the puddles or poke someone with you umbrella, is a difficult task! And what if your cell phone starts ringing?!
  • If the rains bring along the winds, then you have make sure the umbrella doesn’t fly away, thus removing your attention from the fact that you might be getting wet face-down!
  • When I’m walking on the footpath, alongside ether people I have to make sure that my umbrella isn’t too low, or else I might end up poking those without one. And now when I’m holding the umbrella high to avoid causing inconvenience to others, I kind of end up getting wet.
  • And Calcutta footpaths, where available, tend to have such constricted spaces, that a lot of times you have to close the umbrella, pass the spot, and the open it again. Defeats the purpose of not getting wet, don’t you think?
  • Oh and please do tell me how am I supposed to react when all those people sitting in the bus crib that my umbrella’s dripping water! People, for God’s sake, it’s raining outside. I’m carrying an umbrella. I just got on to the bus somehow. Of course my umbrella’s going to drip water! Unless someone out there has invented a water-absorbent umbrella!

So that’s my story of the recent trysts I had with the umbrella!

Someone bring out those raincoats, please! They also save you from the muddy water flicked across by passing cars!

Wednesday 15 August 2012

Independent India? Sure?


Independence Day = Holiday.

That's what it's come down to for most of us!

My plan for the day was similar — to sleep, chill out and catch up with friends. But I didn't know what was in store for me.
While flicking channels, I came across a tele-film on the Mumbai 26/11 attacks titled 'Un Hazaaron Ke Naam'.
Curiosity and lack of anything else at hand, drove me to watch the film. I, for one, had read all the reports on the attacks in 2008. The CST shooting, barging in to the Nariman House, sieges in Taj and Oberoi, everything. Yet, when I saw the film, I had tears pouring down with every scene. I could recall the stories read in the papers, the way people had lost their lives, officers had been gunned down, the media had reported.
And then?
Then what?
Then we forgot about it. We moved on. Months later, 26/11/2008 is just a date.
Ajmal Kasab, one among those, who mercilessly gunned down people, to prove a point unbeknownst to all was arrested. The only terrorist to have been arrested.
And what did India do?
Provide him with security, food, shelter and a chance to defend himself! Defend against what? A crime that the entire nation had seen him commit?!
Is this the direction in which we’ll be moving? On one hand, citizens are put behind bars for circulating cartoons, for asking questions (read: asking Maoist-related questions to CM Mamata Banerjee tends to land you in jail!), for demanding an anti-corruption bill and on the other hand we are yet to mete out justice to a man who crashed across the Indian borders, killed hundreds of citizens, brought the entire nation to a standstill for nearly three days!

Can you imagine the pain their families must be going through? Going to sleep every night knowing that the person who killed their loved one will definitely live to see the sun rise for yet another day!

Spine-less, corruption – fed, hit by scams and heists, crime – infested, filled with political dramas — the mention of India and the Indian government brings these words to my mind!

Sure, I love my India.
But what do I love about it?
Its culture, its history, its diversity.
But that is the heritage which has been handed over to us.
What about today? Tomorrow?

65 years of Independence. Have we made our freedom fighters proud?

I wish finding the answers were easier.

P.S. : I’d strongly recommend you to watch the film ‘Un Hazaaron Ke Naam’. Not because I want you to shed tears. Because I’m sure most of you will feel what I felt after watching it!

Thursday 9 August 2012

Back to winning ways after long!

It’s been a long time since I last wrote, and it’s the viral attack doing the rounds in Calcutta that’s to blame!
One boon during this period of bane was that I got to watch a lot of Olympics events which, with my normal schedule wouldn’t have been possible.


4 medals at the Olympics — our biggest haul till date and also the biggest Indian contingent! More than the number of medals what pleases me more, is the strength of the Indian contingent this year. There have been so many events to look forward to which had Indian participation. Maybe we weren’t good enough to storm the finals and get medals but we were good enough to have qualified at the Olympic level!
If we have a Mary Kom fighting it out in the boxing ring, we also have a Tintu Luka in the 800 m semi-finals of athletics, Sahana Kumari for high jump, Renjith Maheshwary for triple jump, and add in a few more for shot put, discus throw, rowing, tennis, badminton, shooting, archery, hockey to name  a few!
It’s good to see a cricket-crazy nation go crazy for other games too! Today, we see players like Parupalli Kashyap, Vijay Kumar, Devendro Singh, MC Mary Kom, Krishna Poonia make the headlines. Normally, we have to scrounge through the sports pages to even find their mention!


Along with the spectacular and stellar performances on one hand, we’ve had to see major upsets too. The tennis contingent, hockey team, Deepika Kumari - led archery team, Vijender Singh, Sushil Kumar, and Abhinav Bindra. The names itself recall those dreams of victories that have been shattered!

But we’ll take it all in true sportsman spirit and applaud the efforts of the Indian Olympic contingent for having managed to qualify at the world level and keep India’s flag flying high! Let’s hope we end 2012 Olympics on an even higher note and prepare for a bigger and better show at the Rio Olympics!

Till then, back to London!


Monday 23 July 2012

In Love... With Life.



I was in love with life.

Until...

All those small moments shared,
All those little secrets told,
All those great mysteries unfolded,
We were there for one other unrivalled.

Tagging along, always found by my side,
Today, when I turn, I see none beside.
A twinkle here, a smile there,
Would make my day, no matter where.

You were my solace, you were my charm,
You turned out to be the one who caused me harm.
Little did I know, how it would end,
You twirled my life around a hair-pin bend.

You decided to make things bad,
You decided to ignore me,
You thought you could turn the table around,
You thought you were the one who'd survive,
But I am the one who did.

I am glad you were there,
And I am sad you aren't now.
But one thing is for sure,
I am in love... With life... Again.




This piece of work is dedicated to one of my dearest friends and a far amazing person than me! Not because she was "was in love with life. Until..." But because she is "in love... With life... Again."!

Love you loads! :)


Thursday 19 July 2012

Umm, seriously?!


How many times a day do I feel like uttering this expression! Sometimes out of disgust, sometimes awe and sometimes just for the pure fun of saying it!

You're travelling by bus and the crowd seems to be getting thicker and worse every minute. The heat becomes unbearable and you can feel the sweat trickling down your back, when the person sitting in front of you, takes out one of those gaudy plastic coloured, easily available on the roadside, hand fan and starts fanning himself!

When you see a middle-aged man, walking down the street with an umbrella which exhibits all possible colours of the rainbow and so much more!

When you're carefully walking along the footpath of a puddle - filled - street keen to avoid the muddy water as much as possible, and a car races by with such high speed that you're kind of sprayed with that water from head to toe! Of course after 'Umm seriously?!' a lot of other words would follow! Some not fit to be mentioned here!

When you see a woman sashaying around with a handbag or purse, which either coincidentally or deliberately, is the exact same shade as her dress!

When we get on to a bus and buy the ticket for XYZ stop and the bus then drops you in the middle of nowhere and the conductor says keep walking to your left, you'll reach the place. And lo behold after 10 minutes of walking you reach the designated spot! Mind you the bus route wasn't wrong. Just the timing was! Because at 6 in the morning apparently Calcutta buses create their own routes! Who would understand this irritation better than my comrade in arms, Nidhi!

And when out of the blue, one day, the bus drops you at the right spot! Like this morning!

Also when you a girl, wearing two different shades of neon colours on her nails! One hand green, one yellow! Yikes! Wish I had taken a snap for you people!

The best for the last - whenever I tell someone I blog, their first question is, is it on Facebook? Seriously. It's not on Facebook. Another one - what is a blog? And the minute they know what it is, they want to what my blog is all about. Listen, I am not a salesperson who's going to describe my blog like a newly launched product! If you're interested, check out the blog! My writing speaks for itself! My readers can assure you of that! ;) Can't you guys?

Monday 9 July 2012

Longing Along…



Surrounded by people, yet feeling all alone
How lucky I’d have been to be getting all their love,
They cheer for him, they jeer at me,
All because he has the means, I have the needs.

Walking along the beach, the waves lapping at my feet,
The wind whipping through my hair, their jibes roaring through me.
Silence was what I sought; maybe I wasn’t destined for that too.

I was never given a chance, a chance he never even had to ask for.
I proved them wrong; I stood on my feet,
They pulled the carpet from beneath me,
They pulled me down again.

Today I stare out at the sea,

I see the waves coming towards me,
I let them take me down with them,
And there’s finally silence all around me.

Numb, and quiet, I remember God,
And I promise to Him I’ll come out strong.

Friday 29 June 2012

Random Awkwardness!


Ever come across those moments when awkwardness takes over all else?

  • Remember those teeny-weeny moments when you are sitting with someone and the chair squeaks and squeals with every movement of yours and you are at a loss at whether to continue speaking, or wait for the chair to stop!

  • Often it happens that during the morning rush hours, passengers start shouting the choicest expletives at the bus-driver for driving so slow and when the driver starts driving rashly the same passengers are the first ones to hold on to their seats as if their life was at stake!


  • When you suddenly have a hymn or a bhajan or some popular movie track playing aloud in an otherwise quiet room and the source of that sound is a cell-phone! Invariably, the owners of such phones seem to be taking the most time to answer their calls!

  • Imagine the scene :
You are engrossed in work.
So is your friend.
Suddenly the friend starts mumbling something and you keep responding only to realize later that the person wasn't even talking to you, just thinking aloud!

Share your awkward moments here! After all we all definitely have some! ;)



P.S. : Priyanka, it's turned out to be good, hasn't it? ;)
P.P.S : Vikash, you might just get a treat after I cross 5000 page views with this post! Yes, I said "might"! :P
P.P.P.S : For all those who don't know who Priyanka and Vikash are — these two are among the crazy lot of friends I have at work! And they both rock!
And yes, there are no more Post-scripts to read! Another awkward moment? Or maybe not?


Tuesday 19 June 2012

Oh Nature!

And here comes the second lot of pictures clicked by me on the weekend away! I am in love with them, unabashedly and I hope you fall for them too!


Two to tango!

Wish we had such pictures in our bio books!

Near yet far...

And we all fall down!


Perched atop.


Colour combo!
Like them ..?

Monday 11 June 2012

Skies in full glory!

A weekend away from the city, friends all around, serene Mother Nature and a camera at hand...
The results are here for you to see!

Reaching out to the horizon.

Doesn't it look like a painting?

The Three Musketeers...

Colours getting hazy!

Playing peek-a-boo!
Liked it?

More to follow soon! :)

Thursday 7 June 2012

Rain, rain, come again!



I was waiting for my Dad to pick me up. It had started drizzling. A heavy bag on back, rumbling stomach, tired after a long day's work, I parked myself under the shade of a nearby well-known hotel's portico.

Knowing that Dad would take time, I started fidgeting with my cell. Taking out my earplugs, I started disentangling them (They always get entangled!). A sudden gush of wind, throwing droplets of water all over me, made me look up! The drizzle had now turned into a downpour. People had flocked around me by then. Some were talking among themselves, some on the phone.

I wish someone had taken my pic! ;)
It dawned on me that the city which had been boiling in the past two weeks was finally getting a wash of relief! To hell with the phone! Shoving it out of my gaze, I stood looking at the small droplets of water being blessed on us by Him. I could feel my lips curving upwards! As if in agreement, lightning jolted in the sky, thunder startled everyone around!

The next few minutes no thought crossed my mind, no messages had to be answered, no calls to attend… Just the wind blowing my hair around, the water splashing on me in and out, the coolness tingling my wet skin, eyes sparkling at every streak of light in the sky, claps of thunder sounding like music!
Just a Calcuttan enjoying the first showers!


And then Dad came. The phone came out and this post was born!

Thursday 31 May 2012

They leave you speechless!


The other day while surfing through the channels, a dance reality show on television, Dance India Dance Li'l Masters caught my eye. (And breath!) Two kids maybe around 10 or 12 years of age were all set to dance. The anchor asked them what dance style they were going to perform? The smaller one among the two promptly replied 'Robotics'! The next question thrown at the boy was which song. For a few seconds he was quiet and then he turned towards his mentor sitting with the rest of the dancers and asked very cutely 'which song was it?!' The studio audience, judges and other participants were all in splits and understandably so! But if anyone wrote off the boy at that moment, it would be wrong. Because when he did perform, he performed so brilliantly, you'd have been rendered speechless! The boy did know what he was doing!

Another incident on the same line happened on Masterchef Junior. A 12 year old girl, Isabella, was preparing tzatziki sauce with her lamb pie. Ok if you're still not shocked a small wake up call - a 12 year old girl was preparing pie which by the way turned out to be good! What was I doing when I was 12? Umm I was in class 6 and was fantasizing myself in Hogwarts and loving the pair of Nancy and Ned! Both of which I still do! *Grinning sheepishly*
Getting back to the point where she was making the sauce. One of the judges came and asked her what she was preparing and the girl told him, self-confessing that she couldn't pronounce tzatziki properly! And my first reaction was 'She can’t pronounce it but she can cook it! Unbelievable!'


All these kids reality shows which have once again resurfaced to the television foray both national and international, revealing the immense talent and vast potential which kids have are loved by one and all. The passion they show towards their work and the dedication which drips from every action is way beyond their years!
The kids today have an amazing platform to display their skills at such an early age and I hope these shows do justice to them.

Good luck and best wishes to all the talented kiddies from an ardent, awed and inspired fan! :)

Monday 28 May 2012

Pulled down by expectations!



After continued attempts at penning my thoughts on paper, frustrated, irritated and filled with despair, I still don’t know where to start. And until I don’t pour the words out, this clenched feeling in my heart just won't go away.

Not a state you’d like to be in — where you have so much to say, yet you don’t know how to say it!
In plain and simple words, without bothering to embellish or adorn it –

I am disappointed. 


With myself. With others around me.
There, I said it!
Yes, disappointed.
Every time, the delicate lace of expectations that I weave, comes apart, I try and depict the pattern again!
Why?
Why, when people have disappointed me, do I trust them again?
Why do I seek them again when they were the ones who left me alone?
Why do they become a priority in my life, while I still remain an option?

Blame it on the unrestricted and boundless flow of emotions through us humans, I guess!

All seems to go well, and when you least expect it, all goes downhill!

Such is the way of life.
It surprises you when you expect it the least, but need it the most.

I am sorry to have bored you with this note of self pity and I want to thank you for having taken out the time to read this!

It truly means a lot to me!

Just one sincere and heartfelt advice –

Love yourself. More than anyone else in the world. Because you deserve it!


Wednesday 23 May 2012

I do! Do you?

Dedicated to those who made me realize along the way that love doesn't always give back love! Thank you for teaching me one of the harsh realities of life...




I do! Do you?

I never meant to hurt you,
I never meant to slight you,
I wish you'd understood me,
I'd never have gone without you.

My love was all I had for you,
My concern was all I showered on you,
Yet you thought I pestered you,
I'd never have done that to you.

If I was tired, I was no fun,
If I was fun, I was trying too much,
You always had a complain about me,
I'd always tried not to do that to you.

I wish you'd loved me,
I wish you'd seen me,
I wish you'd cared for me,
Because that is all I ever did to you.

Forever and ever and ever...



Saturday 19 May 2012

Here 'n' there!


Well, I’ve been meaning to write for sometime but just haven't found the time... And energy... And inclination... And idea...

Well still at a loss on what to write about, (it happens when your mind is filled with Maths formulae, Tax provisions and concepts of Accounting in a bid to finish the exam syllabus ASAP!) here's just a quick recap of things that caught my eye but weren't enough for individual posts!

  • The trailer of Love, Lies and Seeta in which the girl says “love is a lie every teenage girl tells herself.” Loved the line!

  • Now that my CA final tuitions have begun (at 6.30 in the morning!) I realize that Calcutta does wake up early!

  • And the feeling which overwhelms me every time my short stories are appreciated was something I experienced multiple times during the past week! My friends at office deserve special mention and attention in this case! Thank you people!

  • But the one news which made me prance about in the air was that the TV show Castle will now feature on Indian television not one but five days a week!

Wrapping up with nothing more to say yet lots left!

See you again in a week!

Till then keep sharing your ‘here n there!’

Friday 4 May 2012

Giving you more reasons to smile!


Sometimes even a simple memory can make you smile and at times it takes more than two to do the tango!

By the time you finish reading this, I want your face to be lit with a dazzling smile!

Here goes!

Monday 30 April 2012

A tale that never ends!


The Calcutta sun does take its toll on you! While travelling, my mind was wandering and idling away, when another idea hit me!



What if, just what if, parts of the HP (read: Harry Potter, for all those who still don't know what that meant!) world could actually come true?!