Celebration of books

This evening I went to the Nandan premises where a boi-bajar is in full swing these days (Celebration of World Book Week, would be on till 4th May, timings: 2pm-8pm). I didn’t expect so many publications though. All the big names like ABP, Mitra and Ghosh, Dey’s, Tuli-Kolom, NBT and Oxford have their stalls here. Sadly, I didn’t have enough time to visit all the stalls. Though I bought my share of books from the fair, I would love to revisit the site once again, to complete my systematic carpet-bombing (a friend has nicknamed my combing of book-stalls by this name).

NCERT books and nostalgia

I came across a news some days back that students of many classes, especially those in classes X and XII of CBSE schools were experiencing difficulties as many textbooks were not available in Kolkata markets though the new session has already begun from the first week of April in most of the schools. This news made me realize that nothing has changed from the time when I was a student. I became somewhat nostalgic while flipping through the pages of memory. I still vividly remember how excited I used to be on the day when results were scheduled to be declared as that meant to be in the possession of the book-list and pestering my parents to get me my new books at the earliest. The bookstall that sold books of NCERT and CBSE, close to my home, was Boipotro. It had a famous (and more notorious) cousin those days (perhaps even today, too) called Eureka. However, we preferred Boipotro, not only because the kakus (yes, that’s how we called those manning the store) were very well behaved, but also because they charged fair prices. Eureka, on the other hand, often pasted stickers over the printed prices, forcing people to pay more (people had to buy the books as this was mostly done for books that were scarce in the market). A few other things that I hated about this book stall was that it forced us to buy some guide books along with the text, not to mention some binded books (original copies were like paperbacks) for which we had to shell an extra amount. It so happened that when I was in class X, some books were not available in the market. However, thanks to my father’s contacts in Delhi, I was able to get the books right from the capital and my studies didn’t get hampered. This act of getting capital-copies of my textbooks was a feature even when I was in class XI. I thought that all those plights of students were over but the news made me realize that history repeats itself, only to the agony of students this time……

Some interesting sites that I stumbled upon

Some useful insight about a few in-things of the blogosphere: http://www.website-design-network.com/video.php

A map showing some old Empires (period-wise) finally ending in the formation of independent nations: http://www.mapsofwar.com/images/EMPIRE17.swf

Some historical audio files: http://www.freeinfosociety.com/site.php?postnum=460&phpMyAdmin=af0f6b4465fe3f904426eaeb3dc0e3fa

Feel free to post your comments about the aforesaid, irrespective of whether they are brickbats or garlands.

Bengal braces for another Bandh

Tomorrow (21 April), Kolkata would again come to a standstill owing to the 12 hour Bandh called by Mamata Banerjee, the Trinamool Supremo against rising prices of the daily commodities. I saw a poster yesterday saying "Feley rekhe bhater haanri, chortey chaina motor gaari" (loosely translated as:I don't want to ride a car when I can't have enough to eat). The agenda is a burning issue today as the past few months have seen a steep rise in day-to-day commodities so much that it's an uphill task to manage your budgets, what with the government's inefficiency to do anything meaningful to curb the rising prices. However, how crippling the state for 12 hours would be a solution to this problem is beyond my understanding. Sadly, the political leaders don't consider our plight when they mask their dubious intentions behind a politically correct subject like the present rising price index. So, the common man has nothing to do but to suffer.

Another night of the Knights

In Match-4 of the DLF Indian Premier League, V.V.S Laxman, captain of the Hyderabad Deccan Chargers, won the toss and elected to bat. On the Eden track, the team set a rather low total by the standards of T20, a mere 110 in18.4 overs. However, the experts of the game were almost unanimous that this was going to be an uphill task for the Kolkata Knight Riders and that the formidable score of 110 was indeed a competitive total on this track. When the Kolkata Knight Riders took the field to chase the total, a lot depended on the last match's hero, McCullum, but he departed quickly followed by Ponting and Wriddhiman Saha. The stands of spectators went quiet and the opponents were tightening the noose. Sourav did try to stay there but he too was dismissed for 14 after being hit twice by the ball, once on the chest and later on his fingers. Hafeez brought some relief with his big hits (a six and a four) when even singles seemed like a welcome thing. Nevertheless, it was the efforts of David Hussey (38 runs in 43 balls, which included one 4 and three 6s) that finally saw the hosts home. All this happened not before a slight drama when the lights went out with 3.2 overs to go (the Kolkata Knight Riders needed 22 runs from 20 balls at this stage). Had the lights not come back, application of the Duckworth Lewis method would mean a tie that would have been followed then by a bowlout. Thankfully, nothing like that happened and the home team won, not before giving us, the supporters, a few big scares, though.

I sat glued to the television throughout this game as I'm going to miss the next few ones, as they would be played on weekdays. Hope that the Knights would continue with their winning streak until the next holiday (18th May) when I can again make good use of the time watching them bat.

Few words that are so profound

I came across these lines which are so meaningful that I just can't help but share it with my blog readers. So, here it goes:

"Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up. You build up all these defenses, you build up a whole suit of armor, so that nothing can hurt you. Then one stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your stupid life...You give them a piece of you. They didn't ask for it. They did something dumb one day, like smile at you, and then your life isn't your own anymore. Love takes hostages. It gets inside you. It eats you out and leaves you crying in the darkness, so simple a phrase like 'maybe we should be just friends' turns into a glass splinter working its way into your heart. It hurts. Not just in the imagination. Not just in the mind. It's a soul-hurt, a real gets-inside-you-and-rips-you-apart pain. I hate love". - Neil Gaiman

Ticket info for IPL

I would love to go to the Eden Gardens on 18th or 25th May (both being holidays) to watch at least one match of the IPL (Indian Premier League) and to cheer the Kolkata Knight Riders but am too lazy to run around for the tickets (yeah, online booking is available too, I know, but I never had any faith on online transactions, you see). So, let's see if some angelic intervention happens or not. :)

Well Done Kolkata Knight Riders

Though I missed most of the action of the first match of IPL (Indian Premier League), I returned from office just in time to savor the magnificent batting of McCullum en route to his not out 158 (in 73 balls, with ten 4s and thirteen 6s). In the second half, the bowlers of the Kolkata Knight Riders team tightened their grip on the match and gave Bangalore Royal Challengers absolutely no chance. So, it was a thumping win for Dada's team by a massive 140 runs in the first match of IPL.

Three cheers for Dada (aka Sourav Ganguly)....Hip Hip Hurray!!!

A peep into the Station Master's room at Central Metro Station

Yesterday on my way to office, my 40 ride metro ticket got rejected at the electronic gate though the last day of valid tenure was another week away. So, I approached a metro official posted at the gates for help. However, after a look at my ticket, the gentleman advised me to use the side gate to go ahead (lest I get late for my office) and visit the station master on my return journey. I was just too happy to oblige. So, in the evening, I went to see the station master, rehearsing the dialogs in my mind in case he was in a bad mood (I have this notion that a majority of government officials are always in a bad mood whenever they have to do something not in their itinerary and are often far placed from the word "etiquette"). But this time, I was quite happy to be proved wrong. The station master not only gave me a patient hearing but also offered me a seat. He examined my ticket first for the balance amount and then twice at a machine kept in the room before declaring that I can continue with the ticket and that no further problem would be there). Meanwhile, I also managed to have a look at the big screen (divided into four quadrants) which was showing areas of the station being monitored by the close circuit cameras. But this peep also gave me an insight about why suicides are still common at metro stations. In fact, limited vigilance at some particular points would never be enough to stop the deaths. So, unless the government goes ahead to install railings at the sides of the platform that would open up only after a train stops, people would continue with their suicide bids on the tracks of the metro railway.

Coming back to the story, thankfully, my ticket gave me no more problems and the ride back home was eventless.

Image courtesy: Website of Metro Railway, Kolkata

Fantastic Rupankar: a musical evening

Yesterday, I went to the University Hall at College Street to listen to a program of singer Rupankar (titled: Tumi Shunbey ki). Before this program, I had listened to just a few songs of this singer that were played on fm channels, especially, 91.9 FM (popularly known as Friend's FM). Though I liked the songs of Rupankar quite a lot, I never had any idea about the versatility of this singer. Rupankar gave a hint of his talent in yesterday's program. I'm really thankful to a friend of mine for arranging the tickets, without which I would never have been able to witness this event.

True to the hall's tradition of not being punctual, the program tested the patience of the audience a lot before finally beginning at 7 p.m (instead of the scheduled 6 p.m as printed on the tickets). However, Rupankar apologized somewhat at the very beginning and from there onwards, it was a smooth sailing. In the first half, the singer presented some of his not-so-common songs. He began with a song dedicated to his recently born daughter, Mohul. Two were medleys, marvellously blending the original English versions with the Bengali ones. Some songs had interesting phonetical sounds. Rupankar did full justice in singing these, moving with ease between fast numbers and not-so-fast ones. Little conversations in-between the songs gave an insight into the sensitive side of this versatile singer.

During the short tea-break, I came downstairs to have a cuppa but the huge crowd deterred me. Outside, it was raining heavily. The second half fittingly began with Rupankar's popular number Aaj Srabone (perhaps a tribute to the welcome showers outside). This half was dedicated to the audience and Rupankar belted one hit number after the other as requests from the crowd came pouring in, often in dozens. Finally, at 9.10 p.m, the program came to an end though many like me in the audience perhaps would have liked it to continue for sometime more (provided that vehicle back home was arranged or else, it would have been a problem to return). All-in-all, the whole event was simply brilliant. Hats off to you Rupankar. I hope that you would continue to enthrall your audience for years to come. I am already looking forward to your next stage show.

Chaitra Sale e life ta hell

As the month of Chaitra (the last month of the Bengali calendar) draws to a close, all the shops and shopping malls are offering discounts and special offers by the dozens to woo people. Poor souls like me are often caught in traffic jams, thanks to people who spill out on the roads from the already jam-packed shops, busy buying things with such a mad enthusiasm as if there's no tomorrow. So, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Chaitra Sale e life ta hell.

On a positive note, as the Bengali new year (Poila Baisakh is on 14th April) is about to begin, I hope that it would bring in new joy, hope and opportunity in everyone's life. So, here's wishing everyone Subho Nababarsho (in advance though).

South City Mall

Last Sunday, I went to the South City Mall with a friend. Situated on Prince Anwar Shah Road, this shopping mall is believed to be the largest in India, spread on a sprawling area of 6,00,000 square feet. What I liked the most about the place was its well-planned layout. The wide corridors of South City Mall has seats, some wooden and some cushioned sofas, where people can rest their tired feet before getting up again to explore the area. This mall has something or the other for almost everyone. So, grocery store (Spencer's), several clothing stores, bookstores, a full floor serving delicious dishes (different counters are there to serve delicacies belonging to different regions) and a cinema hall (Fame), all can be found under the same roof. We even managed to sneak into the parking lot from the top storey to get a nice view of the surroundings and the spiralling parking zone. The only bane appeared to be the absence of an elevator that could directly take you to the topmost floor. So, we had to take the escalator, hop down at each floor and then get on the other one going to the next higher level. This small problem notwithstanding, I simply loved the place and think it's worth a dekkho.

Lastly, a caution to all those willing to visit the mall in the evening. Plan your road-map cleverly as the place in front of South City Mall suffers tremendously from traffic jams in the evening. I myself faced a big problem while returning from there and had to break my journey into three shorter versions, not before walking a distance equivalent to three bus-stops as I couldn't get any vehicle (no buses, autos or taxis).

Image: Inside the South City Mall (Courtesy: Avrajyoti Mitra)

Charlton Heston:One of my favorite heroes

For the last two days, I couldn't get time to watch the news and so missed the fact that one of my best-loved heroes had died on April 5. Though I watch Hollywood movies much more than the Bollywood ones, my list of favorite actors is a small one, the top two names being Tom Hanks and Charlton Heston.

I still remember how I was in love with Judah Ben-hur the first time I saw Ben-hur on HBO. I later came to know that for this role, Charlton Heston won the Academy Award (Best Actor). Almost everything about the film Ben-hur still remains etched in my mind....the time when Ben-hur comes to see Messala and they drink together, crossing their hands in a peculiar manner (symbolic of their friendship), the tender kiss between Judah and Esther, how Messala condemns Judah falsely to the galleys (because Judah's political views were different from him), his hardships as a slave, how his fortunes return when Arrius adopts him as a son and he is a free man again, his longing to return to his home, the famous chariot race.......the list is endless. I have lost count how many times I have watched this film after the first viewing. Each time I loved Judah Ben-hur more than before and salulated his undying spirit to fight back, his enormous zeal to be alive. Though Charlton Heston had played many roles and won acclaim (especially for playing Moses in The Ten Commandments), my favorite has always been Ben-hur.

Though I know that death is inevitable, the news that Charlton Heston is no more made me sad. May his soul rest in peace and his family be given strength to go through this phase.

Welcome showers in Kolkata

As the summer season arrived, I was dreading to get fried in the scorching heat but all thanks to the showers (what a great timing!!!), the mercury hasn't risen to unbearable limits till date. Every now and then when it threatened to, the rain came and made matters all thanda-thanda cool cool. The only sad part are the muddy roads, not to speak of the water-clogged lanes and by-lanes. But it's the price to be paid for giving the heat a miss, I guess.

Story of the past life

A few days back, I read a story (The Accountant in the book of short story collection titled The Japanese Wife by Kunal Basu) about a man who could clearly remember his past life when he was Chota Mimar. It made a fascinating read when he had glimpses of the details related to the construction of the Taj Mahal. I simply loved the story.

It wouldn't be out of context to mention a small hillarious thing here. It so happened that during my school days, we had a chapter on food fads. Some common misconceptions and beliefs were listed there like eating ladies finger makes you brainy etc. The thing which I remember till date is how embarrassed I felt when I read that liking brinjals meant that you were a donkey in the past life. I was very ashamed to even admit loving brinjals from that day onwards in public (I still can't figure out why I believed that eating brinjals would strengthen the fact that I was indeed a donkey in my previous birth!!!) and it took quite some time to get back to my normal food habits.

Transportation problem in Kolkata-Cholchey cholbey?

It seems to be ages since the roads of Kolkata breathed free off traffic jams. The situation worsens during the peak office hours. Though I'm lucky to avail of the metro services to reach my workplace thereby beating a good part of the traffic chaos on the roads, on days when I had to board the buses, autos etc, it's like a test of my patience coz you have to forget about time and destination. Rather, in this unbearable heat, you can only pray to reach you destination as soon as possible while the scorching heat boils you up.....flesh, bones, clothes..et al.

I don't know what good so many flyovers and widened roads have done as the problem still persists. Above this, count the mindless pollution caused by these baba-adam-ke-zamaney-ka-traffic. Jaywalking, idle traffic policemen and faulty traffic signals are other culprits adding to the traffic woes. As Kolkatans, is it too much if we ask for proper and chaos-free traffic. If the other metros can have it, why can't we???

Snippets

Survival of the fittest: Getting into a Garia bound auto from Jadavpur 8-B bus stand in the evening, defeating all those who are aiming for the same lone seat.

A signboard at a Golf Green crossing asking autos and other vehicles to go slower as school children pass by the route: Baccha hoitey sabdhan (Beware of Children)

On the walls of a suburban area: Honumaan chaap biri (jara khay tara honumaan na kheye lokey honumaan marka kirtikolaap kore, taha bola chilo na)

Behind an auto:
Satjug me doodh mila,
Aur jug me ghee,
Kaljug me daroo mila,
soch samajh ke pee.

Lastly, again Behind an auto: Hingshey korona, tomaro hobe (Don't be envious, you'll have it too).