Durga Puja-Chaltabagan Lohapatty

The pandal is a replica of a South Indian temple. This Puja was declared the Puja that cares by CESC and The Telegraph under True Spirit Puja. 

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Pandal and Idol of Salt Lake AG Block. This pandal showcased the various stages of the makling of these idols at Kumartuli. The theme is clearly described in one of the images.

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Durga Puja Pandal and idol of Salt Lake, BE (East). This pandal had the China Town as their theme. Look at the mesmerising set-up that gives the real China Town a competition good enough!

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Puja Pandal of Salt Lake AE Part1 block committee. You can also see the close-up view of the idol of this pandal.

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My free limit on Flikr is exhausted. So, I am now uploading images here. Hope my blog readers won't mind. :)

This image is of the pandal at Salt Lake AD Block.

Durga Puja - photographs

Keeping the tradition of my pandal hopping intact , I have already covered quite a bit of the city, the images of which you can see at my flickr account.

So, I invite you all to pay a visit and leave your feedback there.

Happy Durga Puja to you all.

Ghajini bhoot on Radio Mirchi

This is a curious case. As I am an ardent Radio Mirchi fan and keep tuning into this Radio FM channel, as and when I get time, I noticed this case about a month ago (haven't kept the exact count of time though).

It goes like this - without any notice, the song that's on air suddenly stops and the Ghajini song-"kaise mujhe tum mil gayee" starts playing. As far as I remember - it first happened with Rupsha's show Coffee House Classics, and then has affected almost every RJ's show on Radio Mirchi - be it Deep's Kolkata Express, Neel's Harano Sur, Sree's Nobboi Not Out - et all!

The most embarrassing part is when this modern song pops up for shows meant exclusively for old classics like Neel's Harano Sur or Rupsha's Coffee House Classics. Wonder why this bug is yet to be fixed!!!

Image courtesy: mumbaiotf.blogspot.com/

Ajnatobaas - Nandikar's play

Name of the play: Ajnatobaas

Theater Group: Nandikar

Story: Sukanta Gangopadhyay

Direction: Sumanta Gangopadhyay

Directorial Adviser: Rudraprasad Sengupta

Nandikar - the name itself symbolises and stands for unmatched quality in the Bengali theater arena. Being witness to their play for the first time, I am enthralled and wish to return as and when their plays come the next time round near my home's theater.

Ajnatobaas adresses the plight of the elderly of these days who are often turned out of their own homes by their kin and have to fend for themselves, at an old age, despite spending the best part of their lives to raise their children who become so selfish when they need their help the most - in their old age. The dilemma faced by the old people is played beautifully by the veteran actress - Swatilekha Sengupta, but the viewers don't realise what's going on in her life till the very last scene that has a surprise stored for the viewers.

The story is simple and then not simple enough if you delve deeper into the message that it desires to convey. Homemaker Payel (Sohini Sengupta) is alone in home one afternoon, when an elderly lady (Swatilekha Sengupta) turns up at her doorsteps. Offering the lady a glass of water, the lonely Payel brings her inside into the verandah, and starts chatting, albeit with suspicion. However, she lets her guard down soon and starts enjoying the company of the lady. She comes to know that the lady remembers nothing of her past, and yet feels a bond with her that forces her to allow the lady to stay in till her husband Soumik returns.

What happens next is a twist-and-turn of events, that finally culminate into a message on life, and how the elderly and even the younger generation need to traverse the road of life. Yes, the story is contemporary - giving the apathy that our society doles out to the elderly people. The play touches the heart for sure. Hats off Nandikar, for giving me the chance of enjoying a wonderful evening watching this magnificent play of your production house. Hope you keep the flag flying high for years to come.

BEST OF LUCK!!!

Aapad by Nandipat-a review

Name of the play: Aapad

Theater Group: Nandipat

Source: Bimal Kar

Play: Rajat Ghosh

Direction: Bimal Chakraborty

I have heard praises of Nandipat's theater for long but this was the first time that I had the chance to catch up on one of their plays. I had great expectations and needless to say that the 2 hour play (with a 10 minutes interval thrown in between) was rivetting enough to keep me guessing what's going to happen next.

To tell the story in brief - it's about a rags to riches account of poor grocer Raghunath of Nishipur village. How a chance encounter with a stranger changes his life and why he has to wait for an entire year, suffering the conscience-pinch to finally understand what the event of that stormy night really meant, makes for an interesting watch.

Cast wise, Bimal Chakraborty as Raghunath is simply superb. He brings the character to life and helps turn a somewhat mundane story into an interesting watch with layers of emotions depicted in the right dosage. Biplab Naha Biswas as Satyadas, plays another major role, and enthralls with his short presence on the stage.

I also liked the way this play used the stage space, creating a 3-in-one arena: one where Raghunath's shop is situated, the front space with some benches for villagers to sit and gossip, and Raghunath's home at a little distance away from the shop.

In brief, YES, I liked Aapad very much but won't spill the beans who or what this aapad (problem) is in the play. You have to see it for yourself and believe me - you won't be disappointed for sure!!!

Late marriage-is it so bad after all?

There is nothing wrong on going for a late marriage. For a successful relationship, one has to be financially independent. To have you own pay packet becomes all the more important in the recession-hit scenario of the present age. With the rising cost of everyday commodities, it’s no longer the man who needs to shoulder the responsibility of being the breadwinner. Women too have emerged as emancipated human beings who have a career to boast of and can share the responsibility of the home and hearth equally with her man.

Marrying late also makes you have a clear understanding of who you are and where you want to head to in the future. Rather than the mushy-mushy romance of the early 20’s, a relationship in your late 20’s or 30’s is based on hard facts and not on dreams. This in turn makes it much easier to weigh your options and plan your future much better.

From a personal point of view, I can vouch for the phenomenon of getting married late. Though there have been the usual pressure of getting married from my parents and relatives, I resisted the matter till I got settled into a steady job and felt that the time was ripe for a conjugal life. I’ve married at 33 and am pretty happy the way things have shaped up.

To conclude, I just want to say to the people who comprise of our society to let the men and women decide on their own when they want to get hitched. It’s not the duty or moral responsibility of people to put undue pressure on the boy or girl and get them married just because a few of their friends or relatives have done so. Let the choice rest with the person whose life is going to take a new turn once he/she falls prey to the marriage bug!

Things that I am passionate about

There are quite a few things in my life that I am passionate about. To begin with, there is hardly anything that matches my zeal for freedom. Without freedom – both physical and mental, living life would be nothing short of a real torture. I need to act sans shackles to live my life to the fullest.

Secondly, my creative pursuits are something that I can die for. I love to read, write and share my thoughts with the global audience. I still remember the joy of seeing my words being printed in the newspaper for the first time. Since then, I have come across a long way. Still I feel the same anxiety and eagerness even today when my words are published – be it in the online media or the print media.

Third thing that I’m passionate about is traveling. Though my busy schedule doesn’t allow me the luxury to travel frequently, I try to squeeze out some time to go on short trips - usually during the weekends. Though I have traveled quite a lot - from the rugged terrains, lush green landscapes, forests till the snow-capped mountains and vast oceans, I have a clear affinity towards the water bodies. So, I often try to plan tours to places that are either seashores or have some lakes or rivers nearby. A friend of mine once jokingly told that perhaps my affinity towards visiting water bodies has something to do with my Zodiac sign, which is Pisces. According to him, just as fishes love to remain in the water or close to it, so do I – the true sign of being a Piscean!

Last but not the least, I’m extremely passionate about matters related to the mind and spirituality. I like to meditate and exercise to keep my mind and body fit. I am a strong believer of nurturing positive mentality. So, I try to read good books and meet successful people from various walks of life to motivate myself and keep the fire in my belly burning. I also try to make my own small contributions towards some social causes – the primary one being the task of ensuring education for the kids. I also love to bond with my family members and friends as I feel they help to nurture my life force and make it worth living.

In a nutshell, I can say that I am passionate about living my life to the fullest and enjoying the simple things that life has to offer.

Thanks Rediffiland

This post was long due. Some of you might have wondered why there was a long silence at my blog and what I was up to. Well, I got married on the 29th of November, 2008. The blogging world played a huge role in my marriage. How???

I met my husband Dhiman online, not via chat but at the blogging platform of rediff, called rediffiland. He was a fellow blogger who made posts erratically and was basically looking to make some friends online. He sent me a friend request that I accepted. That was the beginning of a journey that none of us thought would culminate in our marriage.

That was way back in August 2007. We used to keep in touch via our blog comments, appreciating the other's write up or just posting a message on the message board. Though he had shared his cell number in those early days, I didn't bother to call up. Taking the silence on my part in his usual self assured sense, he wrote back saying he would wait eagerly for the day when I would call him. I just shrugged off the thing and thought: Oh God, here's another of that typical guy looking to make an online friend and then meeting her and…..

However, what impressed me during this phase was that he was a cool customer. He didn't bother me unnecessarily and gave me time. Slowly, he started sending mails. Though I had added him in my chat contact list of rediffmail, I hardly gave me him the chance to catch me online as I almost always used to log-in in my invisible avtaar. On those days, I saw that he was always online when I used to log in. (Now I know how eagerly he used to stay online during those hours just in case I was online and we could chat).

Things were slow and this continued till Jan'08 end. By then, we were keeping contact via mails too. (Of course, he was the more eager one sending me mails and nice forwards, most of which went unanswered). By this time, I had figured out one fact-here was a guy who was a trusted friend of mine. I gave him my cell number in Feb (not before asking for his cell numbers again as I had not bothered to save his mail where he sent me the same long time back). We met for the first time in March when I went to book a package tour to the Sunderbans. From there, a lot of unexpected events happened (unexpected on my part, off course because the other side had a planned approach that I am aware of now). Finally, I- who had a stance of staying unmarried and had caused much trouble to my parents on this issue, had exchanged garlands with the one around whom my life and dreams now revolve. Want to meet him? Check out his rediffiland blog at http://extremist.rediffiland.com.

And yes, thanks for reading this rubbish stuff till the end.