RaNd0m Th0uGhts

Since for some time now, I haven’t got a thing to do and am idle in the truest sense of the term , my mind has got its fair chance of wondering around and is abuzz with all sorts of weird ideas . I have given myself the independence to think about anything and everything under the sun.
So today is viswakarma puja , the puja of the engineer god. That makes me think aren’t god and science two totally different things. I mean they both try to explain stuff like creation of the universe in totally different ways. One resorts to mysterious powers to explain it while the other tries to explain it in terms of existing physical phenomenon. And technology itself is a child of the sciences focusing mainly on its application side . So, the million dollar question is How come we have a god of technology? Strange isn’t it? Is it an effort to explain the explainable using inexplicable or is it the reverse ? Kinda confusing!!!

Since I find confusions tiring, I move on to the next topic. I decide to read the newspaper. There is this front-page article on Shashi Tharoor and what he posted on Twitter. What I learn from the newspaper is that someone, who was actually a journalist had left a tweet for Tharoor saying :”tell us minister,next time u travel to Kerala,will it be cattle class?” and in reply Tharoor had posted “absolutely, in cattle class out of solidarity with our holy cows”. This little joke on his part had left the whole party twitching because they wondered “was Tharoor taking a potshot at Sonia Gandhi” or “was he throwing the tweet at Rahul Gandhi”[said the newspaper].What do we call this? If u ask me, I would say it’s simply outrageous. All this time I thought that the 1st page was about all the important news in the country [how silly of me!!!] and never guessed it included following ministers and their comments on social network. And we talk about responsible journalism, right?
So, I dump the newspaper and move on. I stand in the balcony and look up to see kites flying in the sky. Kites of various shapes and sizes play hide and seek with the clouds. It’s a joy to watch. Suddenly I see a kite swishing down through the air. It’s a yellow kite with a red tail. A band of boys go running towards it, wind in their hair and eyes in the sky. One of them catches it and emerges with a triumphant smile on his face. Others follow him with a little disappointment showing on their faces. It is then that they spot a second kite coming down and forgetting everything they start running again. I feel that this running after a kite somehow symbolizes the journey of life. We run after a goal, some reach it and some don’t. But for both groups there is another new goal to achieve [or another new kite to catchJ] ,newer heights to scale with little time for despair in between. Wow!!Am impressed with my own philosophy.
Then I come into my room and remember that the next day is MAHALAYA . ie . the day that marks that DURGAPUJA is just 7days away. This day is marked by a special program on RADIO and TV called “Debi abahon” .It is basically welcoming of the mother goddess from her holy abode to earth through Vedic chants. There is this recital of it by BIRENRAKRISHNA BHADRA that is telecast early morning on radio on this day. PUJO for many Bengalis is incomplete without it. It really makes one feel the arrival of something divine. The strange thing about it is that this recital heard at any other time of the day any other time of the year doesn’t produce the effect that it produces on that particular day. I am myself one of those sleepyheads who fails to keep her eyes open after a few slokas and so I got myself a cassette of the whole thing. But it didn’t have any such effects when played at other times. You may well attribute it to my typical Bengali sentiments, but I can’t and neither do I want to change it.
Filled with a deep sense of pride at being a BENGALI, I switch on the computer and start listening to music. And guess what makes me shake my head~”it’s my life” by BON Jovi. What do u call that!!!

Waiting for your comments. Do tell me what do u really think of it?

The ever elusive LOVE

There is something elusive about love. Though there are all sorts of efforts to rationalize and explain this 4 lettered emotion, but does there exist any single universal interpretation of it? I guess no.

As far as I am concerned, this word has changed its implication to me over time. When I was a child, I had my due share of fantasizing over fairytale romance. At that time, all it implied to me was that by some magic some handsome prince would come to me on his flying horse(or pokhiraj as it is called in Bengali)and take me away. But as to how it involved any emotions, love or whatsoever, never crossed my mind.

Then in my teens, I fell in love for the first time. I was besotted by him, swooned over him, wanted to marry him even(even though I had literally no idea of what a marriage implied) and waited all day to catch a glimpse of him. I was literally ready to kill for him and trust me my heart missed a beat whenever I heard his name. He was none other than SHAHRUKH KHAN..(forgive the caps…I still love err..like him boss).

Then came the serious part. I was nearing adulthood(I mean the legal one)

when I met Him. Lets not take names here, let me call him T. So T was this popular guy who had a HUGE fan following especially among the girls and I was this geeky girl, trying to be invisible especially around him. But “man proposes n god disposes” so they say and this case cupid decided to intervene or so I guess. Keeping aside the details, in all fairness it could be said that we were into a relationship[were we?]

Then adulthood came, some things changed between us. Mathematically speaking the equations weren’t quite right between us[god help engineers like me].So it was more of an intermittent love affair, we were in and out of the relationship alternately for 2-3 months-but we were together. Right? Lets not dwell on that part too much. But this whole time I had such high expectations from love. Love is pure, ties two souls together, looks beyond imperfections and so on and so forth..phew!!!The very thought that I thought these to be true makes me giggle. And all this time I was legally an adult[god bless the law] and an impractical goat of an adult[can’t help saying].

Then one day it was over. No more of intermittent single and committed status on orkut .For a few days felt free like a bird. I could do whatever I wished, no huge phone bills, no lying at home about extra pocket money-infact it felt good. But then suddenly it felt bad too. I was on a visit to Shillong in winter.The weather was perfect,the scenic beauty breathtaking and everything was flawless. But something inside me wasn’t alright . Every time I saw a great place, I remembered him, saw something breathtaking and I craved for him…Something made me long for him all the time. That I guess was the point when I realized what love was all about. To me it was and still is something that makes the imperfect perfect and the mundane interesting and even the boring tolerable.

Now am 22,reasonably reasonable and practical[at least I think so].Now T is committed to someone else. I don’t really blame him because I myself no longer believe that it’s possible to wait for love and all that crap . But then there is a great big BUT here . T and B [let that be T’s new found lady love] are committed to each other mind and soul. There isn’t a reason to think otherwise. But where do I stand? The most practical ones among u will say , move on. But I simply can’t. I keep remembering him every moment. In my lonely moments I can still see the way he crinkled his nose when he smiled, the way he frowned when offended ,the way he walked, the way he talked and everything to the minutest detail.Even now something of importance happens and I long to tell him about it.Can anyone now tell me, what this is all about ? Do my feelings lose all their relevance just because he loves someone else? Is it illegitimate of me to love him now? Or is it unethical?

This dilemma in its turn makes me think about love again.What is it about love that differentiates it from its ill-reputed lesser versions like stalking , crush , obsession etc? Is it simply the fact that love is supposed to be a two-way affair ? But why does my feeling have to be renamed depending on someone else ? Other emotions are not so susceptible to other peoples’ viewpoint as love is and all this time I believed love was so divine and pure and what not[!!!].I guess there is a fine line of demarcation between love and obsession. But the irony is that a stalker also believes himself to be in love..right? Its all so messed up..or is it me who is all messed up?

Comments are eagerly awaited. And a word of caution to all-all characters ,places and events described herein are imaginary. Any resemblance whatsoever to any person is purely coincidental.

devD

DEV-D,the latest cinematic interpretation of Sharatachandra Chattopadhyay’s novel Devdas , has done two things to the classic.

First, it has put the classic on a modern footing,making it more acceptable to gen-x
who might have found the previous renditions of the same too melodramatic.It indeed
has put some sort of realistic limit on the expressions of the characters which makes the
the emotions completely in sync with the story,and never for a second drifts into “over the top” melodrama.The story has a unique absorbing power and tempts u to go on and on till u reach the end..the credit goes to the style of story telling n kudos to the film editor for that.

The second effect,is a bit on the negative side.Modernising the story has in some parts taken the innocence out of the love story.Its more focused on the sex part of it.The childhood interaction between dev n paro needed much more dan its allotted single sequence to establish the blooming of love.. Infact in the whole film there isn’t a single romantic dialogue between dev and paro..all are rather tiltillating stuff …dev shares a lot more with chanda then he ever did with paro in the movie..afterall the moment he saw paro he seemed much too eager to jump into bed with her rather than talk and share…but that sharing part is very much there between dev n chanda…to bring out dis fact I will describe a scene from the movie…

It’s a sequence where chanda is telling dev about her past.. her father instead of trying to support her in those trying times(when her mms scandal was doing the rounds), embracing her and saying “whatever was to happen has happened and I will be with you” he had sought relief from the stigma by committing suicide...dev at this juncture embraces her lovingly and says those exact words…

-aint that wonderful??isnt that what love is all about..playing the role the other side needs at the moment and giving the required affection and support and sharing the pain and joys alike…always n forever…that little moment shared by dev and chanda filled my heart with joy…joy at having discovered that love has indeed found its expression in the film….

Devdas-till these days remains the symbol of eternal love..As all literature its open to interpretation..this novel is no exception…wadever be the ineterpretation, it is successful only when the essence of true love is present in it..and in this movie though for a single scene I found that sparkiling moment..and that makes it if a “saga of love” to me and that’s what devdas stands for…..long live LOVE….

LOOKING BACK......

Emm…so my college life is about to end…the moment I pen down these words the full impact sinks in and I am filled with so many mixed feelings…but recently I have been thinking about this..what actually makes these days as beautiful as they are….

That question might bring a variety of thoughts to ur mind…but the one that strikes me
as being most logical is…its not the place…not the time nor the people around you…but our perspectives at this point of time that makes these days so special…the freshness with which we looked at the people and events around us..absorbing everything like a sponge and making them a part of us....the way we accepted people around us…the way we believed them…..laughing our hearts out at jokes which others would find simply outrageous….everything was due to the fact that our hearts were not burdened by those shattered dreams….or by those experiences which taught us that looks could be deceptive, people merciless……


I look back now and realize how much impact time could have on the way a person looks at life…once upon a time before I entered college I used to long to grow up…how I wished to see myself grown up and matured…..Now that I am at the brink of leaving college I miss my innocence….i miss my ability to trust people blindly….i know that the end wasn’t always rosy whenever I believed…but the very ability to be able to trust was so much refreshing…so reassuring…I feel am too grown up and that is so Boring……


Nebody has nething to add to it…feel free to comment….

HER....

I was on my way to PUNE and it was in the airport that I spotted Her-the quintessential modern self sufficient woman of today….She strolled in wearing
a jeans and top..with her baby in a pouch like carrier firmly clipped to
the strap of her backpack…she sat down,unhooked her baby from its confines
and then fed it from a small packet of AMUL mishti doi..the baby had a tendency to
grasp at the spoon again and again..so she gave it a rattle to play with….
I watched her..astounded by her composure and presence of mind…she looked the least nettled by the babies antics..and kept feeding it…wen she was done..she packed the spoon and all into a packet,put them all in her backpack and was all set to go…with the baby in her pouch again….

She was to me the symbol of all a self sufficient woman should be…not cribbing for support and help from others…yet a caring and loving mother….caring for her baby
on the way to work…she was completely WOW….my all respect and adulation for her…

NB to 26-11 post

my friends my last blog was not meant to provide solutions for terrorism now...it was more of what we the coomoners can do to slowly stem out the problem...this problem has taken this massive proportion slowly through the years...n to eradicate it we need time and patience...but i just made an effort to point out d little ways in which we the commoners can do something abt it...i know it will take long...but doing somethng helps...always...

we have the power

26/11/2008……Mumbai saw one of the greatest acts of terrorism worldwide….if not by its sheer dimension of destruction…it instilled fear in us by making us realize how powerless we are…if something as secure n protected as the Trident could be attacked…then where do we, the common people, stand in terms of security??

As to what has been done and what is being done at the international level post 26/11
is much disputed…but here I wish to discuss the role that we can play in eradication of
the social evils that in their turn give rise to terrorism…..the number one reason is poverty which in itself is a burning problem in India…but have we done anything about it??The second reason is discrimination of a certain section of people …why are we so limited in our outlook towards them?Why do we look twice when we encounter a muslim name?Why those furtive glances at the burqa clad women standing at a bus stop??Whatever they wear is their personal choice,who are we to make them feel like aliens…..Who are we to comment about their food??If they choose to eat beef,why should it bother others…Why those accusing stares at the muslims after every terror attack??why why why??

Some may think that I have come up with a lot of questions but haven’t answered any…but then if the answer was so easy that one person could figure them all out…then would the problem have reached this dimension at all??It needs people to think and decide conscientially what can be done…Little efforts on our part can make huge difference to the world around us…Its time for all INDIANS to stand side by side under the same banner and fight….fight against our agelong prejudices and overcome limitations that have been ingrained into us…if we as sensible human beings cant do it..then why blame the others….


“Nobody is born a terrorist”…its the situation which makes them take it up….if we being blessed with reason and education fail to take a stand…then why expect those
deprived people to have moral standards….Its a wake up call for all Indians…WAKE UP AND TAKE A STAND….JAI HIND….

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Its 2009…the year has began with its due share of uncertainities n troubles galore…with the slowdown and all….but then it has brought us something we have craved for since quite long….am talking about “slumdog millionaire” winning 10 oscar nominations…
What is the first picture that comes to your mind when u hear the word “slum”…those dingy houses in some regions in Mumbai and kolkata ..where the very basic need to have a roof on the head far surpasses all concerns of hygiene and safety….n we associate with it the word “dog” and here we have a picture of person who is an underdog in every sense of the term….then as if ironically we put the word “millionaire” after it….aren’t those two words poles apart?In a slum where people feel blessed if they get two square meals per day who dreams of being a millionaire..or should I say who can dare to dream about being a millionaire…..but then it was this very contrast that somehow attracted me
to go and watch the movie….just to check how does someone bring these two unlikely concepts together.

So what I find in the movie is simply amazing…a frame by frame depiction of a slumdwellers life….the pain,the simple pleasures,the innocent smiles….all depicted very realistically….the riots,the orphaned kids,the escape from the hands of a person whose business is to cripple babies and get them to beg….they are very much there.But even more touching is the part when the underdog manages to go on air on “who wants to be a millionaire” and even there he is mocked for being the “chayewala” .Its as if the very fact
that he is a chayewala rising higher,that successful people like the host of the show feels insecure and tries to stop his flight….isn’t it true in every way??the more people have the more insecure they feel because they have things to lose..but a have-not has nothing to lose….so he dares….dares to come on a tv show just to find his long lost love…dares to
phone a friend ..being fully aware that the person on the other side is as ignorant as he is…dares to move from one question to another knowing that a mistake at the next stage could make him penniless as before….but the money is not his target…he wants to be on air for as long as possible…and for that he dares to anwer…raking the nooks and cranies of his brain for experiences that could potentially give him the answers…it’s the longing to be on air…that makes him delve deeper into his memories and find the answers…haven’t we always been told that its all in our mind…its just that we don’t look hard enough to find the answers….for a change he does…and WINS.Its the victory of the human mind…the human spirit…and above all the human himself…

Thats “slumdog millionaire” to me…the epitome of hope ..the symbol of the power of human will and human mind…which can break all barriers …kudos to the human will..

colours

What is the first thing that strikes u when u see colours??To me they are priceless because they symbolize variety to me….Simplest example is that of flowers…the same flower of different colours conveys so many different feelings…rose when red signifies love,when yellow represents friendship,when white symbolizes a get well soon wish and so on…..Then again we have come to associate colours with occasions…red is the colour of the typical bridal ensemble…To me it’s a symbol of the love that binds the two hearts together once and for all on that day….White or black is worn in mourining and they by there simple absence of hues are able to depict d sadness of a demise….Den again being a girl I can vouch that coloured glass bangles r every girls dream….In modern urban chic maybe the thick ones r more in use….but d presence of colour is common in all of them…. Again colours r a painters n photographers greatest assets…They help him capture that dream sequence on paper…Though some of d greatest works in art are done in black and white…but its the coloured version that captures d imagination of one and all….. Indian rangolis are known for their myriad hues …..and being an Indian can we dare to forget d use of colour in our food…the red colour of mirchi powder,the yellow of the haldi are very much a part of us…den again the coloured dot on most Indian womens’ forehead called bindi enhances her beauty…the red bindi signifies marital status…..and speaking of colous can we dare to forget about the holi festival…its the festival of colours…when people feel awkward if they are not drenched in the oddest shades of green n blue…thats a short insight on what colours are to me….and till I get back to you with more to share…keep smiling n keep your life colourful

blog on blogging.....

all you people who have actually ventured to read dis...i frantically apologise to you for wasting your precious time....but u know dere is this silly bug in my head..and when it bites i cnt stop myself frm trying out something new..and this time its blogging for the first time...its not dat i have nothing distinct to tell you..nor sumthng that u havent heard before...but its very me....sooo.....blogging i think is a pretty innovative idea of sharing your thoughts.....and sharing them far n wide at that..but it somewhat takes the thrill out of writing....writing is more romantic i think....juss visualise for a moment...u with your writing book sitting wherever it suits u without these nasty cables all round you....writing to ur hearts delight about all that crosses your mind...only conscious of the faint sound of the pen scratching on the paper...each word has embedded in it ur uniqueness in the form of your handwriting...those curling of your Ys n crossing of your Ts...all distinctly different,,,,isnt dat a part of u???do let me know if u agree.......n if u dnt do positively let me know.....so long..till the bug bites again....take care alll