Sunday, August 22, 2010

Ajgubi

ekta nishchidro porikolpona korechilam jano. tomay niye. tomar thekey shoto koti alokborsho durey dariye theke ami ekdin kolpona korechilam onek durer ekta akash er. Aamar majheyi sei ghushghushey jworta hoy. gham diye jwor chere jaay protyekbaar tomake khujey payi ami oi non alignment er modhye. ami ki bhul bokchi? hoyto ba....purbo porikolpito kichu likhchi na. shudhu koyekta obantor obastob stob-stuti paath. tomake niyei likhbo bhebe shuru korechilam. modhyo ratrey jokhon oi joghonyo bangla software ta khultey iche korche na.. narachara korchi ekta por ekta tomar ostwittyo ke....shune jachi eker por ek. tokhon, thik tokhon tomake khub kach theke chNutey pari jano. ke jeno ekta bolto tar nongra ghorey ishwar ke dekhtey paren tomar modhye. sukh dukkher golpo koren. ami take onukoron korchi? na tomake khola chithi likhchi? onukoron bhabley bhabun..boye geche....nijer sathe khub kacher koyekta muhurter alapcharitay jokhon tumi bar bar lukochuri khelcho, thik tokhon....sei muhurtey ekta sompurno obastob, ajgubi lekha....blogger.com er patay jetay publish button ta click hoye goto got kore sobar somukhyey eshey poreche bhabley porey tomar lojja hobe..serokom ekta chithi likhtey iche korlo..eta adou chithi na ekjon jworo rugir bikaar? ke jane......onek kichu bolar chilo....boltey aprlam ki guchiye...na mone hoy. ekjon bolechilen, ki jeno naam, khub  bhalo dharabhashyokar chilen...bolten "gangajal chara gangapujo osombhob...." tomake niye kono alochonateyi bolechilen bodhhoy.....shotti to....tobe ajke byatikrom... tomar jonno shudhu anjan dutta. karon tumi na thakley shotti amar ei bilaap bikaar, purnochondro abeg..sobeteyi iti.

punoshcho: tomay niye thakurpujo hoche. ekta khub sonoskriti monoshko bangla channel tomay niye aajkal biggapon o diche "thakur tumi kar?"

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Surprise!


My birthday coincides with the holiday season every year. In school I was upset sometimes that I never get to distribute chocolates like other kids on their birthday. Thankfully, everyone remains happy or pretends to be so during my birthday. What more can you expect it comes one removed from the Christmas day and four more before you enter new year. I never quite celebrated my birthday in NALSAR too. But my friends this year gave me a complete surprise by organising a surprise bash for me. My NALSAR wala birthday with all the spice and twang in it! Come on! my friends sang six happy birthdays for me (the recorded highest till now- generally it's maximum two for any one, with the exception of Richa maybe) that night. Can't help it. My friends' are as vella as me and they also needed to take revenge for all those 'happy birthdays' I have sung for them in class :D. 
In case you don't understand this 'happy birthday', 'revenge' thing, it's a a very very NALSAR thing. And so many together is my batch's speciality. These are a few pics from the after party. The food was awesome and we danced our way to glory. Thank you Runjhun, Paridhi, Richa and Shreya for making it memorable. Love you guys! Final year now. I am going to miss this place.


Sunday, August 15, 2010

(In)Dependant.

I tried to convince myself about not writing this particular blog post but could not resist. The point of writing a post titled '(In)Dependant' when your phone does not stop beeping and your inbox is full of messages titled "Happy Independence Day"- is pure gimmicky. Yes! I am sorry but my nationalism/patriotism is not all aboutmy facebook display picture donning up the shades of the Tiranaga or sending 'Happy I Day' messages full of bulk sms writers wisdom laden meaning of what "Freedom" means. Seriously, it doesn't. Also, I have nothing against Valentines Day or for that matter any day and I love all those celebrations and goodies on V Day that randomly show up every year, but it's a humble request- Don't kill the spirit of this Day, the 15th of August, the one we always pray to coincide with a weekday every year (This year it wasn't). Don't make it another Valentines Day. 'I Day' sounds hep- don't know what Surjya Sen would have thought about it, but please don't send me those sms es.
For every individual the term 'Independence' has a strict set of connotations attached to it. For me Independence is all about being yourself and supporting what I think is right. It's a moral decision somewhere. And factual too. When you send me all those messages about India celebrating it's 63rd I Day- get your facts correct. Count 15th August, 1947 too! Yes, dear...it is our 64th Independence Day and the 63rd year of Independence. subtlety you see-bulk doesn't work every time. Also, when you fly that tricolour outside your house or buy a paper version of it (am sure, many did that today considering our fetish for everything Karan Johar produces and that includes the mass copies of the Manish Malhotra creation found in KarolBagh and Burrabazar)- show it  it's due respect. I have seen the tricolour being drenched in the rain or being put in a half mast(not deliberately but may be due to the wind) long after the ceremonial flag hoisting and the bhashanbazi is over. Or paper flags strewn all across the street. Try picking them up on 16th August or tey to stand up every time the national anthem is played in your 200 bucks worth Multiplex. These are very symbolic day to day measures which count in favour of your independent spirit. The one that separates you from the herd. The herd that goes on to study Engineering (while craving for Literature). No offences meant there. But that's one very apt example which I thought will make sense for many young souls raking their brains over making a decision.
I am a law student and it's part of my coursework to dissect the Constitution and research over all  those tomes written over the haloed principles of justice, liberty and equality. Somehow in Law School, one thing I really enjoyed was studying the Constitution and everything related to it. But as a nobody I will suggest to everybody to read up the document. No, dear am not mixing up 'I Day' with 'R Day'. It is one of the most succinctly (I am aware of it's original length) put and brilliantly drafted piece of literature I have ever come across. Never mind all those ninety five and counting amendments that our legislators decided to put across. We have a habit of screwing brilliant stuff. Ask Sourav Ganguly, Shashi Tharoor etc. Nothing puts forward the true spirit of Indian Independence as beautifully as the constitution. When we had dominion status between 15th August 1947 and 26th January, 1950- our Constitution framers took extra effort to make sure it is an ethereal document out of bounds of time and space (I mean it. We do no need those amendments or those debates over basic structure.) It reflects the aspiration of a country born after it's 'tyrst with destiny at midnight'. A country which was torn apart and the flame lingers on till date (Kashmir anyone). A country where there was versatility of thought from the very inception (?) of the freedom struggle. A country we call our own. our Home. And even when that NRI jerk presumes over that matrimonial chat that the lady on the other side of cyberspace is homely and does not know what biking means you give him a piece of your mind and say dude! come to the Himalayas. Also, it's the 'reverse' gear you know- let's make that a trend. 
Be the Generation 'W'. Respect the fact that worshiping goddess Durga on one hand and stiffling the voice of your daughter in case she wants to marry in some other caste or play football is passe'.
Be Independent.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Letter from a forgotten land.

Dear Tara,

Hope you are doing well. How is that back pain of yours? I still suspect it's Baater byatha (Arthritis). How is Girija Babu doing? Is his coughing bout under control nowadays. I asked Chattujey moshayi once about the problem. He advised that you visit the west once during Girija babu's holidays. I think the pollution of Calcutta is not suiting him anymore. But what to do, after all he is the boro babu now, his responsibilities are greater now. How is Ashalata? Have you started looking for a groom for her? Is Girija Babu planning to send her to college and make a Judge? Bethune school won't help her learn cooking and sewing. Nobody will marry her if she doesn't know how to cook. Sometimes I wish you had a son. There is still time. Coax Girija Babu to have one more child atleast. People here laugh when they hear that you have only one daughter.
We are all doing well here. Sukhen's marriage has been almost fixed with that girl from Barishal. I was very much against the match. But who listens to a widow? That too, one who is a burden on the families of her brothers. Tell me something Tara, couldn't they find one suitable bride for Sukhen in the entire Dhaka zilla. As if boro bou wasn't enough that another person from Barishal will come to pollute our family. Our ancestors didn't joke when they said "Aaitey shaal, jaaitey shaal, tar nam Barishal". This girl is also related to Borobou- some distant cousin. Now they will rein over the entire household together. All this at the cost of my youngest brother.
You remember the time when we were just nine and Gogon kaka had taken us to Barishal on that official trip of his. Remember how those crooks at the Goalonder ghat didn't even let us have our meal properly? My god! I so loved Padmar Ilish. And those bastards shouted that our steamers were leaving. We ran for our lives only to find a it a hoax. How they cheated us. I had cursed them so much. I hated Barishal from that very day. Borobou just proved I was right.
You must be thinking that how can a widow of sixteen years still think about fish. I will not lie to you Tara. You are my best friend. I don't get to see you often nowadays. But I share everything with you. You know I love the smell of fish. everyday in the morning I steal a walk upto the aamish henshel (non veg kitchen) just to smell the fish. It's a secret I will die with. If any one here gets to know about it, they will tag me as woman of vices, but I can't help it. It was only you whom I could trust with this secret of mine.
When do you again plan to visit Bharakar. I know you don't like this shabby village anymore. But do come. Bring Asha along. I often think of making the aamer achar (mango pickle) that she so liked last time. Try to come during pujo. I am sending a bottle of a special medicated oil which I got from Chattujey moshayi for you. Hope it reaches you in the present state. Reply to this post soon.

Iti
Gouri

P.S. This post has personal anecdotes, anecdotes of forgotten times, memories of afternoon conversation with my Amma strewn all over. The factual background is entirely fictional but the conversations? Who knows, that might have happened some seventy five years back in a dimly lit Bharakar household.
P.P.S Bharkar is my ancestral village. It's located in Dhaka, Bikrampur region. My house was located near Tongibari thana. Have never been there. But surely intend to visit it sometime. I have been to the Bharkar Sammilani Durga Pujo manytimes as a child. Don't know if it happens till now. If any one of my readers are from my village or knows anybody or has visited that pujo, kindly leave a note. It's a way of remembering Amma, whom I was suddenly thinking about.
By the way, I belong to the De Sarkar (we later dropped the Sarkar from our surname) family from Bharakar who had defated the Zamindars (the Mullicks, I suppose) in the Dhaka Court in a dispute over a Dighi (large waterbody). I have hear numerous stories about how my great grandfather, Late Satish Chandra De, who was attached with the Court of the District Judge at Alipore in Calcutta, took out a procession to celebrate the victory. So now you know where it all comes from? :D

Monday, August 9, 2010

150 things to do before your turn 30

Found this one Me-Era*'s blog. I think all 20 somethings should take it. For your information, black represents something I don't want to do, blue represents something I really want to do and green is something that I have been part of, already. So tag yourself guys :D

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink

02. Swam with dolphins

03. Climbed a mountain

04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive

05. Been inside the Great Pyramid

06. Held a tarantula

07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone 

08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree

10. Bungee jumped

11. Visited Paris

12. Watched a lightning storm at sea

13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise

14. Seen the Northern Lights

15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa

17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables

18. Touched an iceberg

19. Slept under the stars

20. Changed a baby’s diaper

21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon

22. Watched a meteor shower

23. Gotten drunk on champagne

24. Given more than you can afford to charity

25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope

26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment

27. Had a food fight

28. Bet on a winning horse

29. Asked out a stranger

30. Had a snowball fight

31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb

33. Seen a total eclipse (1995I suppose)

34. Ridden a roller coaster

35. Hit a home run

36. Danced like a fool and didn’t care who was looking

37. Adopted an accent for an entire day

38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment

39. Had two hard drives for your computer

40. Visited all 50 states

41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends

43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country

44. Watched whales
45. Stolen a sign

46. Backpacked in Europe

47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing

49. Taken a midnight walk on the beach

50. Gone sky diving

51. Visited Ireland

52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love

53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan

55. Milked a cow

56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero

58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football

61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain

63. Played in the mud

64. Played in the rain

65. Gone to a drive-in theatre

66. Visited the Great Wall of China

67. Started a business

68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken

69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class

71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight

72. Gotten married

73. Been in a movie

74. Crashed a party

75. Gotten divorced

76. Gone without food for 5 days

77. Made cookies from scratch

78. Won first prize in a costume contest

79. Ridden a gondola in Venice

80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River

82. Been on a television news program as an “expert”

83. Gotten flowers for no reason

84. Performed on stage

85. Been to Las Vegas

86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark

88. Kissed on the first date

89. Gone to Thailand

90. Bought a house

91. Been in a combat zone

93. Been on a cruise ship

94. Spoken more than one language fluently

95. Performed in Rocky Horror

96. Raised children

97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Passed out cold

99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge

102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking with the windows open
103. Had plastic surgery

104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication

106. Lost over 100 pounds

107. Held someone while they were having a flashback

108. Piloted an airplane

109. Touched a stingray

110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth

112. Won money on a TV game show

113. Broken a bone

114. Gone on an African photo safari

115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears

116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol

117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild

118. Ridden a horse

119. Had major surgery

120. Had a snake as a pet

121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon

122. Slept for 30 hours in a 48 hour period

123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. States
124. Visited all 7 continents

125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days

126. Eaten kangaroo meat

127. Eaten sushi

128. Had your picture in the newspaper

129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed

132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

137. Skipped all your school reunions

138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language

141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream

142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care

143. Built your own PC from parts

144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you

145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair

147. Been a DJ

148. Shaved your head

149. Caused a car accident

150. Saved someone’s life

Just like that.

"So what is your biggest turn on?"

Hostel gossip and bitching sessions tend to get interesting day by day. This question is not about any particular day. It may be any night in a girl's hostel when you have ganged up to laugh hysterically over the "multi millionaire in the making" guy from class was spotted in that "chamkeela shirt" and "kala batua". Coffee, conversations and many a laughs later the discussion inadvertently tends to follow a strict pattern. Men. Yes, we openly size you up and we 'can' do that. Just about the way you discuss what we wore and who has the cutest smile in your rooms. I think it's kind of mutual. Natural too. Never understood what's the big taboo in accepting this fact. So there goes one of my turn ons- A man who talks to me about the neighbourhood girl with jet black hair and over whom he had the biggest crush. Also, the girl who just passed by- whether or not she has 'statistical' alliances.

But coming back to the point. I have been directly/indirectly asked about what do I like in a man. Kind of what is that turns me on. Well, I have stuck to the conventional(albeit true) ones like- conversations, sense of humour, everything bengali-like fascination for Tagore, chandrobindoo, saraswati pujo, dhuti etc., writing (love letter types- not email), can discuss with me newest book releases and the tharoor-pushkar wedding with equal elan kinds...pretty much the ideal variety you know..and he has to be worth his salt. But deep down I was thinking- is that all?

Erm. No. I think the biggest of them all is food. My fondness for food and eating are well known. And I kind of love cooking also. But nothing more than eating a hearty meal perked up with wonderful conversation. In case, he decides to cook it up it's great. But equal marks for choosing the perfect place to dine out or plan the dinner with family- it works great for me- only that the food on platter and the choice of the delicacies- bengali, chinese, italian (in that order) needs to be in place.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Movie Marathon and an itch.

So that's how fifth year treats you. Yes! I mean this utter joblessness and boredom. Thank god the local file sharing network on campus was in place. Never did I understand the utility of DC more than  this weekend (the long and short of it) when I had practically nothing to do. Apart from reading "Moner moto meye" by Buddhadeb Basu, lazing around and enjoying the beautiful rain drenched Hyderabad, rustling up quite a storm and off course watching movies.
I have seen three movies in the past two days and god knows how many episodes of freshly baked Big Bang theory and HIMYM episodes. And before I move on to the fourth one in the series, I thought of putting up this post. No it's not any kind of a review or sort. I mean I hate them personally. But it's like I was lucky to download three of the most out of the box movies I have seen in a long long time. At least two of them was, if we abide by the cinematic sense of the term. Call it a coincidence of sorts, two of them starred Meryl Streep. She is officially my favourite actor (yes, gender M,F and E included) now. Whoever is reading this might just consider this post as a guide to a wonderful lazy movie marathon-in-mind weekend.
The first one was the 2009 Meryl Streep-Steve Martin starrer romantic comedy 'It's Complicated'. Yes! it resonates the facebook relationship status and the millions of complexity worthy relationships in today's world. Only that it was about a divorced couple with three grown up children rediscovering love (lust?!) on their son's graduation ceremony. While they have an affair to remember, the husband cheats on his much younger wife, the same woman he leaves the mother of his children for. Did that sound weird? Yes! because Meryl Streep's character soon realises that she is the proverbial 'other woman' in the relationship now. All this while the nice guy makes an entry, and it is back to the love triangle mode for these people, way past their prime. Watch it for Meryl Streep, if not for anybody else.
The second one on the loop was the 2008 release "Julie and Julia", a movie I have been recommended for long. This Amy Adams-Meryl Streep starrer is nothing less an inspiration for people learning to cook and slowly finding a passion for it. Trust me, it's one of the yummiest movies I have seen. The narrative is nothing new, with the lives of two ladies from different generation juxtaposed by their love for cooking. But more than that, it's the therapeutic effect that the movie brings in you. It's one of those kinds which inspire you to take up a challenge, not in the Hindi movie style with it's buckets of glycerine content. But in a very normal, run of the mill way. Cooking or not, it will definitely give all those stressed out behind their desks a reason to search for their passion...in may be.....taking other's trip!
I have been waiting to watch the third one for the longest period of time after all those good reviews and stuff. Planned to catch it in Calcutta this time, but alas! couldn't. "The Japanese Wife" was good but not extraordinary. I mean given the storyline and the craftsmen involved, I expected more. May be because I have seen the better of Aparna Sen in Paroma or Paromitar Ekdin. Overall liked it more than her last venture-15, Park Avenue, but that's about it. It leaves you with a hope, even when one of the main protagonists die. The hope that is called love. But Ms. Sen should have seriously considered casting someone like Parambrata or Tota Roy Chowdhury for the character of Snehamoy. Agreed, Rahul Bose is a fantastic actor, one of my favourites. But his urbane suave sophistication plays hide and seek with Snehamoy on screen. Pronunciation and dialect- Bose goes off in both these directions. It's Moushumi Chatterjee- the balika badhu ala bollywood glamour girl and Writuporno's best gift to Bengali screen since Unishey April (excuse Dosar, Utshob and Sob choritro Kalponik), Raima Sen who acts well and good. In fact, Chatterjee quite steals the show. Also, wish to see more of Raima on screen. The lady playing the Japanese woman in the film acts neat for her part, but could have done with some more expressions. Overall, decent watch but not any way near Sen's best.

And before I move on to the fourth, the Sanjeev Kumar-Deven Bhojani- Moushumi Chatterjee (she is my day's favourite)starrer evergreen Gulzar classic 'Angoor' after I finish my ho(stel)mespun aloo ki sabzi and chapathi dinner (Yes! I cooked the sabzi and it's quite delicious too) I must mention an itch that bothered me throughout the day. Kalyan Sangha, my para, had it's annual pujo meeting today. Baba was telling me on phone about the decisions regarding dhunuchi naach competition to be held, the budget, how much advertisement money he can pull in. I somehow felt like crying- will it or will it be not another one I miss? only time will tell. Right now chances look bleak since my end semester exams are about to begin around that time only. Let's see. Hope I make it this time around.
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