Last post of the month

It's time now to gear up for the festive season once again as the forthcoming month of December means Christmas and new year eve celebrations. The month of November has been good for me. I settled well into my new job, enjoyed my time with friends and blogged vigorously(taking into account my lazy nature, great achievement....more than a dozen post!!)

So, with a hope that December goes on well.....I conclude my last post for the month of November.

Forced Retreat

Finally, the seasonal change has got me as its victim. From yesterday, I have been confined to home, having a slight fever, sore throat and severe cold. I have got bored already sitting (or rather, lying on bed) idle at home. Hopefully, I would be able to join office tomorrow and again be able to get into the groove of things. Till then, it's nothing but a forced retreat for me.

Weekend arrives

Thank God..it's Saturday again!!!

I love the weekend coz these are the two days when I can sleep late in the morning, laze around the house, listen to my favorite fm channel, have a late bath and then hop on to the road to see a film, a play, chat with friends or simply chill out in my own company.

It was no different today. I have taken my Brunch already(usually, on holidays, I skip breakfast and instead have my lunch earlier) . I plan to catch a play today in the evening though my lazy soul craves for a lenghty nap at the comfort zone of my house. Let's see, who wins, my wanderlust or my lazy soul.

Postscript: (posted on 25th Nov)

I did manage to catch the play yesterday. Today, I would be again heading to the same venue to catch another one. Weekened has really upped my energy levels!!!

Liar Liar

Last week, while chatting with a friend online, the importance of lying dwelt on me. We both agreed that had it not been for lies, life would have been pretty drab (no insult to Yudhisthira, the eldest among the Pandava brothers and his clan though)

In fact, lying is an art. Not everyone can do it with aplomb. However, with the passage of time, you can surely perfect this art and handle situations according to your own sweet will. Imagine how many times a harmless lie has saved you from continuing a useless chat, attending some invitation or bunking school or office. Life becomes a lot easier with the art of lying in your kitty. Even a small lie that lights up the face of someone is an act of goodness to me.

However, don't get carried away by my campaign. A big lie at the wrong place can spell trouble for you. So, exercise restrain and strive to perfect the art of telling a lie!!

The season of nuptials

Finally, the season of marriages has come again when some would gladly give off their bachelorhood while some other would unwillingly offer themselves to be sacrificed on the altar. Looking around, I feel that despite having bugs in their stomach before taking the final vows, people just can't resist but give it a try...

So, someone has truly said that marriage is "Delhi ka laddoo..jo khaye wo bhi pachtaye, jo na khaye wo bhi pachtaye".

Children's Day

Today while going to office in the morning, I saw quite a few kids dressed for the D-Day and going to school for a different experience, their parents in tow. I also craved to be that child again and relive the fun on Children's Day. If only I could.....

A marriage made in heaven (Story)

D-Day:
After the seemingly never ending marriage rituals got over, Indu and Adi finally got a few moments to themselves. “You must be sad for not getting a beautiful wife. Instead, you have me….pretty bad, eh?” Indu said teasingly. And then both of them burst into peals of laughter.

Flashback:
It all started a year ago. Indrani (aka Indu) was checking her e-mails when she came across this personalized message in response to her profile posted on a marriage-site. Aditya (aka Adi) seemed the perfect match. Working as a project manager in IBM, Adi’s profile would have impressed any girl. Indrani sent him a thanks mail. Things flew from there. A few mails and calls later, both decided to meet. After their first meeting, they decided to get their families involved to take things further. Within a fortnight, Adi and his mother came over to Indu’s house to have a formal talk.

Twist in the tale:
Indu was eagerly waiting for Adi’s call when his mother called on the landline number. Indu’s father took the call. Something was wrong. The face of Indu’s father changed color so quickly that even Indu felt tensed. “Aditya’s mother doesn’t approve of Indrani as she is dark-skinned and no match to her Adonis son”, her father declared, somewhat sarcastically.

Destiny’s hand:
“Hi! How are you?” yelled Adi on seeing Indu waiting at the bus-stop. Though both worked in sector V, Salt Lake, they haven’t crossed path until this day. After some customary talks, Adi offered Indu a cup of coffee and she agreed. Over the brewing cuppa, amongst other things, both made it clear that they are no longer a prospective match as both have declared the same to their kith-and-kin. During the next fortnight, the two met four times on various pretexts. Indu was sensing something cooking between the two but was not sure. Finally came Adi’s proposal of marriage to which she readily agreed.

Postscript:
Indu and Adi have been happily married for four years now and have Debasish, their two year old son for company. Indu’s mother-in-law, however, still can’t digest the whole scenario, even after so many years.

A Pawned Life (Story)

Hard times never last:
For the past few months, everything wasn’t hunky-dory on Ajay’s business front. He suffered some unexpected losses and needed a hefty sum to stabilize his ship. Thankfully, his bank loan, which was getting stuck until now, finally got approved. Ajay already had set plans for steering his business into the future-zone.

Man proposes, God disposes:
When everything was set in place, it was time for Jaundice to strike. Ajay lay in his bed, helplessly. His wife, Simran, sensed something wrong with her husband and asked him quite a few times but Ajay shoved the matter aside.

The flexing muscles of the recovery agents:
Six months have passed after Ajay got his loan. He has been able to steady his business somewhat but failed to repay the first loan-installment. Loan recovery agents were causing a lot of disturbance in his otherwise happy family life. Apart from giving him threat-calls on the cell, these agents even went to his house one day in his absence to threaten Simran. Since then, Simran has been living under a constant threat.

The last blow:
One year had passed and Ajay had been unable to repay the pre-decided amount of his loan. In the last week, within a period of two days, the recovery agents had knocked his door twice. How he faced their deterogatory remarks and insults as the neighbors relished the situation and his wife helplessly looked-on, only he knows.

Adieu:
Ajay checked the noose of the rope. Yes, it would not fail him as destiny has. He uttered, “Forgive me Simmy, I am leaving you alone but I just can’t bear this insult anymore.” He tightened the noose around his neck, kicked the stool from under his legs and left this mortal world.

Working from home

I have always envied those who have the fortune of working from home. However, I also know that I would never be able to do a good job sitting at home simply because I lack that discipline. Also, I yearn for that professional environment where seeing everybody at work gives you a moral high.

Thanks to today's bandh, I had to do a bit of official work on my home-PC as this overseas project is time bound and can't take delays. I was quite happy that at last, I would be able to laze around the house after waking up late, have no hurry to beat the dust of the road, no elbowing in the crowded metro compartments and be able to work at my own pace.

Sadly, my own sweet pace turned out to be snail pace; what I do on an average day at office, I did only a fragment of it (considering the task done on per hour basis coz I worked only 4 hrs, instead of the 10 hrs, flexibility, you see).

So, no luck for me regarding working from home. (sigh!!)

Yet another bandh

Kolkata once again prepares itself for yet another 48 hour bandh called as a mark of protest against the bloodshed in Nandigram. Though I don't support the violence meted against the people of Nandigram, I'm equally opposed to these bandhs which are being called at the whims and fancies of political leaders despite offering no solution. Common people like us are the worst hit as we have nothing to do but skip our daily routine and stay idle, thanks to crippled communication.

I hope that better sense would prevail(especially in case of the Trinamool's Mamata Banerjee) and instead of shouting slogans of Bangla Ochol, she would do something fruitful to help restore normalcy in Nandigram.

Cupid's Arrow

I often wonder that why do people never get tired of airing their views on love....what irresistible lure is there that allows a riot of thoughts to pass our minds the moment we come across this four letter word??

Though love comes in many forms - love for your parents, your siblings, your friends, teachers etc. but the one that stands apart is the one that has inspired a plethora of novels, plays and films ....yes, you guess it right....love for that special someone, in whose eyes you find your world, in whose presence, you forget all that is around ......the love for your beloved!!

My best companion

During my childhood and my adolescence, I was a vigorous reader. However, with time, this cherished hobby of mine died a slow death, owing to pressures of studies and then job responsibilities. Though I read sometimes those days, the joy of staying with printed word on a regular basis was missing.

Thanks to my last job as a content writer, I came back to an environment where people loved reading and even infused the energy into you to explore the terrain of upcoming as well as seasoned writers.

So, here I am, again enjoying the revived hobby of mine of reading books. I can vouch for one thing for sure that books are the best and most trusted companion of man. Atleast, I feel that way though opinions of others may surely differ from mine.

Beauty of the soul

I often wonder why do people associate so much importance to a beautiful face or a beautiful body. I have always thought (and believed too) that true beauty of a person lies in one's thoughts. Indeed, a beautiful soul is bound to be an attractive person even though the mirror or the society chooses to spell otherwise.

My solitary lover

I am having a blast enjoying this back-to-back holidays at home, catching up on lots of pending reading and networking with friends. I thought why not pen a few lines about a hillarious experience that I had last year around this time.

That day, I was not supposed to attend office though I had to hit the road for some official business. However, a change of plan of the top brass and a few calls later, I was sitting on a public bus and heading towards office(at Dalhousie) after finishing my official business at Baguiati. Just the day before, I had a hair cut and I really admired my new look. As it was around 1.30pm., the bus was quite vacant. I was sitting on the last seat with only an elderly gentleman beside the window for company.

After two or three halts, this man (would prefer calling him a boy, rather!!) took the bus and chose the seat beside me. I felt somewhat awkward because my sixth sense could tell that he was glancing at me. After a few seconds, he complimented me on my looks, introduced himself and offered a handshake. I responded out of sheer courtesy and had that handshake.

BIG MISTAKE THAT WAS!!!

After that he asked me to be his friend and I told politely that I choose my friends by my own sweet will and I hate any kind of coercion in this respect. Nevertheless, he continued to chatter. After completing his family and professional background, he came to chatter about marriage and all that stuff. The bus was getting filled up and I was chanting God's name to give me a glimpse of a metro station so that I don't have to suffer this anymore(I had already taken the ticket to Dalhousie and this brat beside me was also heading towards the same destination. By then, I had already decided that there was no way that I was going to travel the full distance).

In between, he asked me for my cell number and I refused. As he persisted, I offered him my e-mail id. "What would be the suitable time to mail you?", he asked. (I controlled my laughter coz this guy surely thought mail to be similar to cell that had some suitable timings....thank God for his ignorance, hah!!)

The shock of my life was yet to come. After his bakwaas about marriage, he proposed me and then continued telling how happy he would keep me(Aila, what was this, I thought!!)

I could sense how the people standing nearby were cherishing this and how I controlled myself from giving him a tight slap, only God knows. Finally, I got the glimpse of a metro station, rushed out of the bus, dashed to it, turning back to see in between if I was being followed. After I reached office, people asked me what was the case as my face was wearing a reddish tinge(Blush or anger or a blend of two, I don't know).

Finally, I recounted the whole incident and we had a hearty laugh!! Only sad part was that this was my first and last proposal till date and my solitary lover(I doubt whether I should at all tag this brat as my lover...naah, I would prefer not to)

So, since that day, my friends had an incident to pull my leg (not very often though) .

Though I felt a bit scared at that time, the whole incident seemed very hillarious afterwards. What do you say?

Aging Aunty

Now that the whole world (at least that is what it seems to me) is busy finding a suitable groom for me, I think that I have really grown quite old(No sigh, I'm loving it, to say in McDonald style!!). Being called didi was quite common untill now but recently I was even tagged aunty by two PYTs(Pretty Young Things). My indomitable spirit, however, remains as strong as ever(the evergreen hero, Dev Anand, being my inspiration).

So, my smile remains where it truly belongs to...on my face.

Things I miss about my childhood

Yesterday I read an article that made me quite nostalgic. It was about things that children who grew during the 80s miss now-a days. The article forced me to travel back in time and relive those cherished moments once again, albeit with a sigh!!

So, I would love to list the things that were so much of fun during my childhood and are sorely missed now-a days(though I never spared a thought about the same till I read the article):

1. Summer and winter vacations: My lazy soul craves for those blissful holidays though being a professional has its own demands. So, having the weekends to relax and chill is only something that I get at present.
2. Comic books: I still remember how after every final exam term, I waited eagerly for my share of chacha chowdhary, chandamama, champak and other comic books that were ordered by my parents in a lot. Usually I had the chance to read these comics somewhat regularly but the bulk order was something that gave me immense joy.
3. Visit by my mamas from Kolkata: I spent my childhood in Muradnagar(near Delhi). My mamas(maternal uncles) used to visit us and these visits had special meaning for me. These were the times when I had the Amar Chitra Kathas in Bengali and other children's literature from Bengal. In fact, I owe a lot to my mamas who were hugely responsible for getting me interested in Bengali literature and the language itself.
4. Sweet tooth: I was never fond of sweets but the cheap lozenges and poppins were big attractions for me. Even the tiktiki lozenges that came in various plastic bottles of varied shapes were a big draw amongst my peers.
5. The factory hooter(Siren): As we lived in factory quarters(my father being an employee with the Ordnance Factory Board), every weekday began with the shrill sound of the factory hooter. Sundays sounded a bit awkward as I missed the siren's sound.
6. Load shedding: These hours in the dark were a welcome break from studies. These were also the times when the storyteller in my father took charge of the proceedings. I just lapped up whatever my father had to tell-be it his childhood incidents, his school-escapades, ragging or his job experiences.
7. Rehearsals: Vigorous rehearsals for over 2 months for Durga Puja cultural activities are another thing that has become history now. These rehearsals were also the pretext when boys and girls could meet away from prying eyes(those days, people didn't had a broad mindset regarding such meetings and things were quite different from what they are now).
8. Art of storytelling and Thakumar Jhuli: I miss the stories of Thakumar Jhuli that introduced me to the rakkhosh, khokkhosh, daini, shuorani, duorani etc. I miss my thamma's storytelling art too.
9. Adda and PNPC: Though I still indulge in these activities but those childhood days were simply matchless.
10. Doordarshan: Yes, I sometimes miss the old telly programs, especially so when there's a total chaos on the telly-scene today!!