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! :)

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.

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!

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?

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! :)

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! :)

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! :)

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! :)

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?

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 :)