Life in Technicolour

The Insanely Long Tag...

2012-01-23T22:52:00.000+05:30

F forwarded this list of questions a few days back and sitting idly around, I thought today would be a great day to get on with it. Thing is, I didn't notice how many questions there were. And once I started, I had to get it over with...

1) Put your iTunes on shuffle. Give me the first 6 songs that pop up.

I don't have ITunes... but there's an MP3 player: Rolling in the Deep, Lemon Tree, Chammak Challo (:|), When Your Mind's Made Up, Sound of Silence, Billie Jean

2) If you could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be?

The Dalai Lama

3) Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 23, give me line 17.

She collected customers by going up to them and describing her services…

4) What do you think about most?

What to eat for my next meal.

5) What does your latest text message from someone else say?

I will get it tomorrow (a calendar if you, my dear readers, must know)

6) Do you sleep with ____ or without ______ on?

A blanket (or without) lights (on)

7) What’s your strangest talent?

Erm, I can eat a lot.

8) Girls…. (finish the sentence); Boys…. (finish the sentence)

Girls overthink everything; boys don’t think at all.

9) Ever had a poem or song written about you?

Not one that I know of…

10) When is the last time you played the air guitar?

I don’t do that K

11) Do you have any strange phobias?

I can’t watch people chopping vegetables… I am always worried they will cut themselves.

12) Ever stuck a foreign object up your nose?

Sticker (it went right in and had to be medically extracted)

13) What’s your religion?

Hinduism

14) If you are outside, what are you most likely doing?

Working (yes that is sad, I know)

15) Do you prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it?

On the side of it

16) Simple but extremely complex. Favorite band?

Porcupine Tree

17) What was the last lie you told?

When I had to get out of work…

18) Do you believe in karma?

I don’t have time for it…

19) What does your URL mean?

Seems pretty simple to me

20) What is your greatest weakness; your greatest strength?

Weakness: I get moved very easily.

Strenth: You can never really tell what I’m thinking.

21) Who is your celebrity crush?

As of now, Ryan Gosling (this must be the easiest question here)

22) Have you ever gone skinny dipping?

23) How do you vent your anger?

I get very, very quiet.

24) Do you have a collection of anything?

Books & greeting cards

25) Do you prefer talking on the phone or video chatting online?

Neither

26) Are you happy with the person you’ve become?

I think I can do better.

27) What’s a sound you hate; sound you love?

Sound I hate – Honking

Sound I love – Silence

28) What’s your biggest “what if”?

…I fail?

29) Do you believe in ghosts? How about aliens?

A little in both

30) Stick your right arm out; what do you touch first? Do the same with your left arm.

My laptop with my right arm, my lip balm with my left

31) Smell the air. What do you smell?

Nothing… I blame it on my permanently weak sense of smell.

32) What’s the worst place you have ever been to?

A counsellor’s chamber

33) Choose East Coast or West Coast?

I doubt it applies in the place I stay.

34) Most attractive singer of your opposite gender?

Errr, I can only (most mysteriously) think of just women right now.

35) To you, what is the meaning of life?

To make the most of every minute.

36) Define Art.

The act of creating anything beautiful.

37) Do you believe in luck?

Yes, but coupled with hard work.

38) What’s the weather like right now?

Mildly chilly, strangely pleasant for Mumbai.

39) What time is it?

10.50pm

40) Do you drive? If so, have you ever crashed?

Haven’t learnt driving yet…

41) What was the last book you read?

The Sly Company of People Who Care

42) Do you like the smell of gasoline?

Not really

43) Do you have any nicknames?

A few…

44) What was the last movie you saw?

Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

45) What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had?

I fractured both my feet together… a month before year-end exams.

46) Have you ever caught a butterfly?

Many times

47) Do you have any obsessions right now?

Yes…

48) What’s your sexual orientation?

Straight

49) Ever had a rumor spread about you?

Yes… I don’t suppose I have to say what it was.

50) Do you believe in magic?

In my good days, yes.

51) Do you tend to hold grudges against people who have done you wrong?

I forgive, but I rarely forget

52) What is your astrological sign?

Libra

53) Do you save money or spend it?

I save as much as I can, but once in a while I splurge.

54) What’s the last thing you purchased?

Lots of clothes (it’s sale season!)

55) Love or lust?

A bit of both.

56) In a relationship?

Yes

57) How many relationships have you had?

A couple…

58) Can you touch your nose with your tongue?

Tried many times, never succeeded

59) Where were you yesterday?

A different city

60) Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you?

Yes, my lip balm

61) Are you wearing socks right now?

62) What’s your favorite animal?

Koala

63) What is your secret weapon to get someone to like you?

I usually don’t bother to try.

64) Where is your best friend?

In my head J

65) Spit or swallow?(;

Swallow

66) What is your heritage?

A lot of madness that comes with being a Bong… eating fish and Biryani for instance.

67) What were you doing last night at 12 AM?

Trying to sleep

68) What do you think is Satan’s last name?

Lastword

69) Be honest. Ever gotten yourself off?

I suppose so…

70) Are you the kind of friend you would want to have as a friend?

I don’t know if I would get along very well with myself.

71) You are walking down the street on your way to work. There is a dog drowning in the canal on the side of the street. Your boss has told you if you are late one more time you get fired. What do you do?

This sounds so impossible… but I guess I would save the dog if no one else seems interested.

72) You are at the doctor’s office and she has just informed you that you have approximately one month to live. a) Do you tell anyone/everyone you are going to die? b) What do you do with your remaining days? c) Would you be afraid?

a) A few, I suppose

b) Make a list of things to do

c) I would try to be brave… what else is there to do?

73) You can only have one of these things; trust or love.

Trust

74) What’s a song that always makes you happy when you hear it?

I am Singing in the Rain

75) What are the last four digits in your cell phone number?

----

76) In your opinion, what makes a great relationship?

Love

82) What is your favourite word?

Soul

83) Give me the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word: heart.

Blood

84) What is a saying you say a lot?

I don’t…

85) What’s the last song you listened to?

Some song on FM

86) Basic question: what’s your favorite color/colors?

Black and red. With a bit of blue.

87) What is your current desktop picture?

Cave painting

88) If you could press a button and make anyone in the world instantaneously explode, who would it be?

Hmmm… I can just think of one man right now.

89) What would be a question you’d be afraid to tell the truth on?

What have I achieved in life (I’m afraid it all boils down to a massive zero).

90) One night you wake up because you heard a noise. You turn on the light to find that you are surrounded by MUMMIES. The mummies aren’t really doing anything, they’re just standing around your bed. What do you do?

Try and figure out if it’s a dream.

91) You accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what’s even cooler is that they endow you with the super-power of your choice! What is that power?

Teleportation seems like a nice-ish power

92) You can re-live any point of time in your life. The time-span can only be a half-hour, though. What half-hour of your past would you like to experience again?

It would be nice to go fishing in the lake near my old house again…

93) You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be?

It would be nice to do a Bachelors degree somewhere else…

94) You have the opportunity to sleep with the music-celebrity of your choice. Who would it be?

:\ I just realised there’s no musician I really want to sleep with…

95) You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go?

Africa

96) Do you have any relatives in jail?

97) Have you ever thrown up in the car?

98) Ever been on a plane?

Many times

99) If the whole world were listening to you right now, what would you say?

Don’t bother doing this yourself. You can do better with your time…

100) Give me your top 5 favorite blogs on Tumblr.

Why just Tumblr?

Doubt...

2011-10-13T23:16:00.001+05:30

It's a frightening feeling -- when it seems like you're never going to be able to do any job properly in your life.

I stopped loving what I do a long, long time back... now when I sit and wonder about what to do next, failure seems like the inevitable result for each and every plan.

Doubt gnaws its way deep into your heart.

Birthday Wishlist

2011-09-30T20:35:00.001+05:30

I am turning very, very, very old in less than a month. Okay, not as old as it seems... but old enough in any case (if you ask me nicely, I will tell you how old). And birthdays are times for gifts, lots of them and great ones. Here's what I want, suitable for all pockets and budgets (or at least collective pockets and budgets).

Caution: Since I suppose the only people giving me gifts are likely to know each other, please crosscheck... I doubt any of us will be very happy if I end up getting two or more of the same thing.
Ooh also, this is in bold because I think it's very important... some of these may be pretty expensive. I only know the price of this book... besides that I am not sure of the prices of anything. If something seems too expensive, let it be... find something in your budget, even if it's not on the list. I will be happy with whatever's given...

Bone: The Complete Cartoon Epic in One Volume
I looooooove Bone... it's one of my favourite graphic novels and I adore it to bits. I've read the first three or four parts, hiding in bookstores, largely because I had no money to buy each volume then. There are 9 volumes, but Flipkart has it all in one big book... t's usually available abroad, but looks like the website imports it. And there's a discount too. Want!
Find it - http://bit.ly/qBDLgY

Saxony Knife Earrings

Saxony Knife Earrings, Eina Ahluwalia
I love pretty much everything Eina makes... particularly her Byzantine and Wedding Vows collection.
I ♥ these two earrings - the Saxony Knife Earrings and the Byzantine Vines.
Find it - http://www.einaahluwalia.com/contact

Jewellery at Accessorize
I've seen some stunning stuff there - and they are available in sets. Does the store have vouchers?

Heels!
Do I really need to say how much I love biggg heels (well, pretty ballerinas and all other sorts of shoes too). What I'd like most? Hmm, ard to choose, but a great pair of nude heels is very desirable I suppose.
Find it - All over Palladium!

Sequins on my dress
Almost as much as I love heels! And I believe they are quite a rage right now... everyone is making some at different prices!

Hair Accessories
If you've been out shopping with me, chances are you've seen me try on hairbands, and all other sort of hair thingies possible. Though I usually try really ridiculous things, I really like some nice hair accessories. And will not mind owning one or two. Like a flower, or a feather hairband.
Dainty clips are not a good idea though - they don't stay on my hair. Find it - Freanka http://www.facebook.com/pages/Freanka/176669452353374?sk=info. There must be more...

The Body Shop Midnight Bakula
I can't believe I forgot to add this.... I've wanted this ever since I smelt the products at the friendly neighbourhood flagship store! It smells great, everything - right from the body butter to the body mist.
Find it - At The Body Shop stores

New Blog, Same Old Life

2011-08-28T23:03:00.001+05:30

So now I have a new blog, one I've killed and resurrected many times over - www.thevanitykit.wordpress.com. Anyway, I thought it may be a good idea to collate my folio (or whatever you call it) into a blog, and fill it with posts about things that catch my eye, as well. I was planning for it to be in line with a fashion blog, but now I am not really sure of that... dressing up people and tracking cool clothes and accessories are nice, but I really don't see the blog turning into a daily diary of what I wear. For one, I often don't like what I'm wearing... I just put on whatever I can find. And besides, taking photos and putting it up with such dedication seems too much for me. The fashion bloggers out there must really love what they are doing...
I wish I was doing more of what I loved. Wait, I am not sure what I love when it comes to my work...
Anyway, it's Monday tomorrow and time to get back to the work desk. I could certainly do with a few changes in life.

Blood and Tears...

2011-07-13T22:40:00.000+05:30

Once, every year or two, ever since I came to live in this city, I've seen this city burn... sometimes the trains which millions use to travel, sometimes rich hotels that you would think would be oblivious to dangers or, like today, just a set of crowded roads picked at random.
The nature of the attacks surprise me every time... they hit whenever I least expect it, when I almost forget that such things are possible here.

Bleeding bodies, broken bones and shattered hearts and hopes...

...it's never easy.
Not for anyone - not for those at the spot, not for those stranded on the roads, not for those waiting for loved ones to reply to calls and messages or return home, not even for those who are sitting safely at home.

But it's not time to get angry... not yet. The hatred and retaliation can wait for a few days. Now we need helping hands, not heated nerves. There will be another day for us to fire our guns, if we have to.

30-Day Book Challenge: Day 30

2011-07-08T23:48:00.000+05:30

FAVOURITE COFFEE TABLE BOOK
I just realised today is the last day of the challenge... no more breaking my head over which book to write about, rushing to finish posts before midnight, and feverishly discussing posts with friends who are also facing the challenge. Besides, I ended up thinking of books and stories I had completely forgotten about. This was fun...

I am not going to say anything much, but that I had wanted this book from the moment I lay my eyes on the cover (and the synopsis) in a monthly press newsletter from the publishers. I didn't even had to flip it open... one glance at the grey silk cover and I was smitten. It was also one of those times when I merely said that they book looked expensive and did not dare to ask the publishers for a review copy, because it was so frightfully expensive.
But, without even asking for it, one morning, many weeks later I cam to office to see a huge package lying on my desk... they had me the book. Oh, and I've never wanted a coffee table more eagerly than now. Designers, old and new speak about their perception of couture (a much misused term), which are accompanied by beautiful pictures from the runways and vintage shows. Plus, there are some stunning portraits of the designers from Rankin.
My clothes may not suggest that, but I have great admiration for fashion and see it as a form of art... I love how the book brings out the significance of fashion designing, as opposed to merely making clothes (ready-to-wear).
...I really need a coffee table to display this.

Couture in the 21st Century
Edited by Deborah Bee
Price Rs. 2499

30-Day Book Challenge: Day 29

2011-07-07T15:45:00.025+05:30

BOOK I AM CURRENTLY READING
I had a lot of books to read, but when I saw the review copy of the book I am writing about today, I pounced it before anyone else had a chance. The perks of coming to office before most people!

I loved Arvind Adiga. I loved The White Tiger, and while I know a lot of people who did not like the book at all, I totally loved it. So I was pretty excited when I heard his new book was about to release.
Don't be discouraged by the bright pink jacked of the hard cover version. The story is as gritty and 'un-pink' as Adiga can get. The story is set in Mumbai, and is a great (not always beautiful though) glimpse of the city. Also it's central narrative about the residents of an old cooperative society who have received a lucrative offer from a real estate developer, is a story many people of the city have lived through.
Adiga writes with a certain rage I have come to like. His stories are set in very familiar urban surroundings and I often feel like I know what he is talking about even though nothing like his stories have ever happened to me (thank heavens).
I like how Last Man in Tower is progressing, as of now. But what can I say... I am a fan.

Last Man in Tower
Written by Arvind Adiga
Price Rs. 699

30-Day Book Challenge: Day 28

2011-07-06T20:14:00.001+05:30

LAST BOOK I READ
Today's and tomorrow's questions must be among the simplest in the challenge. Thank God for small mercies!

All my friends who had read this food have only had very good things to say about it. So it was hardly a matter of time before I was ready to pick up the book myself. The title, Like Water for Chocolate, sounded familiar. Once I began reading it, I realised why... I had written about this book's cinematic adaptation in an article about Spanish food-related movies. This is the story of Tita - her joys and sorrows - which are often expressed through food and the kitchen. Women, all over the world, have traditionally been associated with their kitchens. This book used the same idea, but in a innovative way. So you have the story of a woman's life interspersed with recipes (that look very promising) and directions on how to cook... magic realism and culinary lessons blend without a hitch into the story line.
It's easy to finish the book in one go. I did... though I wish I had copied the recipes before I gave the book back.

Like Water for Chocolate
Written by Laura Esquivel
Price Rs. 400+

30-Day Book Challenge: Day 27

2011-07-05T22:13:00.001+05:30

FAVOURITE FICTION BOOK
I realised I'm almost coming to the end of the 30 Day Book Challenge, and I find today's question very intriguing. I have written about many of the books I like (and dislike) in the last few days, so now I'm confused again.... which is my favourite work of fiction? I suddenly don't think I have read enough books, because I can't quite determine out an absolute favourite.

I am leaving this blank... I haven't figured it out yet.

Does it mean I am failing the challenge? Well, I suppose no one could care less.

30-Day Book Challenge: Day 26

2011-07-04T23:06:00.000+05:30

FAVOURITE NON-FICTION BOOK
I hardly read non-fiction... I never end up picking those at bookshops, and it hasn't helped that a lot of the non-fiction books I've read have turned out to be incredibly, terribly boring. There have also been some very good books, but I am not sure if a book like Bitter Chocolate is my favourite... it moved me alright. But my favourite, I am not so sure. I also pondered around Vincent Van Gogh and Marquez for a while... and then decided to take a lighter route.

My favourite non-fiction book is full of laughs, even though its premise is rather sad one. Bhaskar Ghose was director general of Doordarshan when it was still a channel we all watched. He speaks about his experiences, some good and a lot of bad, during his tenure and all the series and developments on the National Channel in those days. He brings forth the corruption and lethargy of the government and the total incompetence (at times) of people working in TV in those days. DD produced some of its best works during those days, and I wonder if they would have not fallen from grace had he been around longer. So, I am not a big fan of long, non-fiction stories, so this has been among my favourites - it has a serious background, but the writing is engaging, funny, light-hearted and lucid. And despite the carefree narration, it talks about some pretty serious issues that gripped the government and I&B ministry in those days (and possibly, even now).
I heard that Bhaskar Ghose has come up with a new book, and if it's anything like his earlier work, I am picking it up.

Doordarshan Days
Written by Bhaskar Ghose
Price Rs. 385 (Hard-bound)

30-Day Book Challenge: Day 24 & 25

2011-07-03T22:26:00.000+05:30

Another Sunday, another combined blog post.

BOOK THAT CONTAINS MY FAVOURITE SCENE
This wasn't easy... far too many scenes, right from Cinderella to The God of Small Things popped up before my eyes. It took long and hard thinking, but when the scene, it was right there before my eyes.

I love this book (who doesn't) and while every chapter in the book is a little masterpiece, one of my favourite scenes is the one towards the end, when Holden takes his little sister Phoebe to the park. She wants to ride the carousel and he buys her a ticket and puts her on it. She rides on, carefree and happy, just as he realises he doesn't want to be a catcher in the rye. And in that moment, he finds happiness, in the simplest way possible. I think I cried when I read that.
The lines that got me - "I was damn near bawling, I felt so damn happy, if you want to know the truth. I don't know why. It was just that she looked so damn nice, the way she kept going around and around, in her blue coat and all. God, I wish you could've been there."

The Catcher in the Rye
Written by JD Salinger
Price Rs. 335 (approx)

FAVOURITE BOOK I READ IN SCHOOL
This was one of the easiest questions I have ever had to answer. Even as I read the topic, I knew what my answer would be.

It was dark and mysterious and an absolute dazzler of a book. I was hooked to Joseph Conrad's novella from the minute protagonist Marlow began his story. Or perhaps it was in the way, the cities were described, from London to the heart of Africa, cold and grey and steeped in history and conflict. As the story of one man's journey to find another in the deepest part of the Dark Continent unfolded, the novel became a study of people and ideas as well as colonialism. Few books have intrigued me more than that one, and I always found something new each time I read the book. Africa never seemed more enigmatic or alluring.

Heart of Darkness
Written by Joseph Conrad
Price Rs. 68 onwards

30-Day Book Challenge: Day 23

2011-07-01T23:40:00.000+05:30

BOOK I TELL PEOPLE I'VE READ, BUT ACTUALLY HAVEN'T (OR HAVEN'T FINISHED)
Oh well, there are a lot of these books. No, none of the books listed in the last 22 days can be part of this category :-P. I really have read all of them. But I find myself pretending to have read up some books when I actually haven't... especially when it's part of a conversation and I need to keep it going. They are like those things that come up in the moment... "have you read that book? Oh yes, I have... my god, isn't it nice?" Come on... everyone's done it sometime. It helps, I suppose, that I read up a lot about books online, especially if they interest me.

I was trying to think of book I haven't read at all, then realised it was embarrassingly high. One of them is Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake. And the tendency to bluff about the book emerged a little too strongly when the movie based on the book was released. I have never even touched the book... ever. I am not sure what the cover of the book looks like (though I guess after the movie, it must have been Tabu's face, or Irrfan Khan's). I thought the movie was okay... nothing as brilliant as some of my friends said. So every time one of my friends compared it to the book, I would vociferously support the book. This is also one of those books which I have not even read anything about. So my arguments usually were totally out of nowhere... I just assumed the book was pretty similar to the movie. I even claimed that since I didn't like the book, I couldn't like the movie either. Note: I've read Lahiri's other books, and a lot of her other writings and I quite like her work. I am just not sure why I never even try to read The Namesake. And clearly, if anyone's reading this blog, my wonderful critical analysis of the book or the movie is not going to hold much ground anymore.

The Namesake
Written by Jhumpa Lahiri
Price Rs. 395

30-Day Book Challenge: Day 22

2011-06-30T22:03:00.000+05:30

BOOK I PLAN TO READ NEXT
I am always reading, so it's very difficult to say what I'm planning to read next. I do a lot of book reviews at work, and a lot of times, I just suddenly end up reading a book because I've to review it. And this is something I thoroughly enjoy and take solace in... that there will always be enough books to read.

I've been eagerly awaiting this book ever since I received the first teaser postcard many weeks back. I think Amitav Ghosh is a lovely writer, and he usually has more hits than misses. The second part of the Ibis trilogy, River of Smoke, has been eagerly awaited for very long. I've heard so much about how good Sea of Poppies is, that I've been trying to get hold of the book for a long time now. I actually also plan to read another of Ghosh's books soon - Shadow Lines - once my friend (who wrote about it on Day 4) lends it to me. But the first two books of the Ibis Trilogy are certainly in my reading list...

River of Smoke
Written by Amitav Ghosh
Price: Rs. 699 (Available for Rs. 448 at Landmark Online)

30-Day Book Challenge: Day 20 & 21

2011-06-29T08:31:00.000+05:30

BOOK I HAVE READ MOST NUMBER OF TIMES

I really liked this book... I read the abridged version (or was it unabridged) when I was about 6 or 7, and I can say that while I (obviously) did not understand a lot of the nuances, I got a lot of things the author was trying to say. I re-read the book (I would always do that when I was younger) a few times... I should re-read my books more often.
But I suppose I really overdid it when the book became a part of my syllabus during my ISC (+2/A Levels). I can guarantee that I read the book at least 20 times over the two years. I am sure if the test was only on Great Expectations, I could have scored almost a 100/100 :P.

Great Expectations
Written by Charles Dickens
Price: Varies, but approximately Rs. 50-70 onwards (Thank God for the guy who came up with the idea of affordable pricing for classics)

FAVOURITE BOOK FROM CHILDHOOD
I did not read/see too many picture books in my childhood, but I did read a few that were handed down to me from my brother. I don't have a picture of the book, but there was an adorable little pop-up book he had... my parents initially refused to give it to me, thinking I would damage it :| (well, I didn't). It was the story of The Frog Prince, and there was minimal text and largely, elaborate 3-D images to illustrate what was going to. It was gorgeous. I still have a thing for pop-up books, even though I don't own one anymore...

Sorry, no cover for the book. I think my parents have hidden the book somewhere again...

30-Day Book Challenge: Day 19

2011-06-27T23:41:00.000+05:30

BOOK THAT TURNED ME ON
This is most certainly worse, and more embarrassing than yesterday's question, which in fact dealt with embarrassment. Anyhow, it must be done, so here it is...

The book was banned for a very long time because it was apparently so erotic, and those folks were probably right about how hot this book is. I use the word 'hot' because it really is that. I picked it for a bargain price from the Strand Book Sale a few years back, more out of curiosity at what banned the book. Some of the parts are explosive... and, well, also a little bizarre. At the same time, it's written incredibly well, which immediately takes it many notches above traditional romance novels, or the Mills & Boon variety. This is a distracting book, but it is also a wonderful read.

Lady Chatterley's Lover
Written by DH Lawrence
Price Rs. 250 (approximately)

30-Day Book Challenge: Day 17 & 18

2011-06-26T19:55:00.000+05:30

Sundays are clearly the days when I am going to sit and post for two days, to make up for missed Saturdays. Though today, the posts are yielding books that are as different from each other as chalk and cheese. So here goes...

SHORTEST BOOK I HAVE READ

I finished reading this book in an hour or so, sitting at a corner of Oxford Bookstore in Mumbai (the only time the staff at any Oxford store were courteous enough to not tell me that my browsing hours were over, or that I couldn't sit down with the books to read). I was new to Mumbai, waiting for entrance results, and this seemed like the best idea.
The novella is not among my most-loved of Marquez's work - in fact, sometimes I forget I've read it. But I think Marquez can never write too badly. This does not have as much magic realism, but the story is very moving, and reminiscent of the places Marquez comes from. Marquez says that the book is inspired by his grandfather - as I turned the pages of the book, the setting almost came alive (books do that to me) as I watched the Colonel's life unfold, in sepia - I see all of Marquez stories in a sepia light.

No One Writes to the Colonel
Written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Price Rs. 699

BOOK I AM MOST EMBARRASSED TO SAY I LIKE

I initially thought there was no book I liked that embarrassed me to say it out loud. And then I remembered Sidney Sheldon, and the many books of his I've read. I think I had totally forgotten the existence of these books... but I do like quite a few of them. There I said it. I think this was the first Sheldon book I read, and I was totally mesmerized. This was better than a Hindi movies (I really like Hindi movies like these too, thank you). Except these were my early adolescent years and I was getting tired of reading classics for so many years, This was like an explosion. I suppose it also helped that my parents really didn't seem to care what I was reading. In fact, they too read a few of the books (the better ones, thankfully) and appreciated a few parts which they thought was intelligently written.
In a few years though, I moved on to better books (there are certainly much better books out there) and I won't easily admit I like a Sheldon book. But that's the fun of this challenge I guess.

Rage of Angels
Written by Sidney Sheldon
Price Rs. 250 (when I bought it many, many years ago)

Rant...

2011-06-24T22:18:00.000+05:30

Years ago, when I applied for a course I wanted, I never got through. I tried all the colleges where the course was available - it was a naught everywhere. I took up what ever I got -- it wasn't too bad, but it wasn't what I wanted. I sat through the classes, listened to lectures, zoned out... and promised myself I would never not get through something I wanted this badly.
It's worked alright - now when there's another course to be done, I have made it through every single place I applied to. And then, I realised this really isn't just about getting through. To make it to a new place, a ocean or two apart, you need a bloody lot of dough. And there ain't any here.
I don't need money to boy fancy clothes and shoes, but when I can't even take up a course because I don't have money and the loans will be too much of a burden, it's a little heartbreaking, to say the least. How is it fair that one woman gets to buy a bag worth 17 lakhs, and others can't take up a course that costs lesser than the bag, which will possibly not be used more than once or twice? Where is the justice in that?
Perhaps now, I just have to promise myself that money will never be an obstacle in my life ever again... till a new problem crops up.

It's a good thing when too many people don't read your blog. Few people have the patience to listen to a rant...

30-Day Book Challenge: Day 16

2011-06-24T22:03:00.000+05:30

LONGEST BOOK I HAVE READ
Long books are not something I look forward to very much. I've read few and while some have been good, others have been deeply disappointing.

By the end of it, I had partially forgotten what had happened at the beginning of the story. Wikipedia reminds me that this Vikram Seth book is 1349 pages (1488 soft cover) long and contains 591552 words. It is, quite naturally, among the longest books in the world (Guinness Book of World Record says the longest is Marcel Proust's book :|).
It was also partly the length of the book, that I actually did not enjoy reading this book as much as some others. I didn't think it was bad, just a little too long. Also because, I did not feel the subject was worth spending so many pages and words on. Besides, Seth spent almost 10 years writing just that one book.
And I've just discovered that he's writing a sequel - A Suitable Girl - to be released in 2013. No, I don't feel too happy or hopeful.

A Suitable Boy
Written by Vikram Seth
Price: Rs. 507 (more for other editions) on Flipkart.

30-Day Book Challenge: Day 15

2011-06-23T23:58:00.001+05:30

FIRST 'CHAPTER BOOK' I REMEMBER READING AS A CHILD
Okay, so there is finally an Austen in this blog series. I realised I do remember quite a few opening chapters, but this Jane Austen novel occupies prime place. Did I mention I read too many books meant for adults, when I was a little too young?

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. And with these sentence starts one of Austen's most famous books - Pride and Prejudice. I remember reading how desperate Mrs. Bennett sounded to get all her daughters married and how it immediately set the setting for the rest of the story to unfold. It was also interesting how well Austen understood her social milieu - her stories were set in places and situations she seemed very familiar with. Many years later, when I read the book in high school again, I realised that this book in fact contained one of the most popular opening lines and first chapter ever. No wonder it left such an impression on me.

Pride and Prejudice
Written by Jane Austen
Price Starting from around Rs. 50 (classics have great monetary value)

30-Day Book Challenge: Day 14

2011-06-22T23:11:00.000+05:30

BOOK WHOSE MAIN CHARACTER I WANT TO MARRY
Oh boy! Clearly, there are a lot of literary characters I wouldn't mind getting hitched to. Doesn't say much about my real-life socialization, does it? Also, I've realised that, thankfully, even though I still like the brooding boys from hardbound novels, I have lost interest in the mad, malicious or utterly stupid ones. Dark isn't always equal to insane, or it stopped being so ever since I stopped being 16.

I have had classmates, colleagues (many of them, much older) laugh at me or stare with great doubt, when I tell them this.... but for the longest time now, the one literary (don't even argue about any differences between literature and comics) character that has had me enchanted is Batman. Know what I mean? He is seriously dark and very intimidating, but he isn't stupid or verging on madness, and most of all, he is a good man, always ready to fight evil. I especially like him in Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, which shows a different dimension, still strong and ready to fight, but also ageing and more human. And I imagine him to be a dreadfully, catastrophically good-looking man under that mask, the type even Christian Bale can't really live up to. Marriage proposal? He will have a yes before he can finish the sentence.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
Written by Frank Miller
Price Rs. 709

30-Day Book Challenge: Day 13

2011-06-21T23:59:00.000+05:30

BOOK WHOSE MAIN CHARACTER IS MOST LIKE ME
I really wanted to come up with something extraordinary for this one. And I needed a little help as well. Here's what we settled on -

Would I run after bizarre objects - tea parties set up in the middle of nowhere, talking animals, ruling cards. In all likelihood, I would. Do I get confused and overwhelmed by everything around me? Absolutely. Do I find a way out, eventually? Thankfully, yes...
I also find respite in imagination... am I Alice? Even if I am not quite there, I would like to be... hers is a lovely world.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Written by Lewis Carroll
Price Rs. 48 onwards at Indiaplaza

30-Day Book Challenge: Day 12

2011-06-20T22:44:00.000+05:30

BOOK THAT IS MOST LIKE MY LIFE
I almost wondered if there was any chance if I was like Bridget Jones, so desperate was I to find a book to blog about for today challenge. Then I decided to go about it in a different way... and this is what I found.

No, I am not a fisherman (certainly not an old one) and there is very little chance that I will ever be able to catch hold of marlin in my fishing rod. What I find strangely familiar about The Old Man and the Sea though is an attempt to keep trying harder, even after a seemingly never-ending streak of failure. And the ability to dream of lions, when one has just lost one of the biggest catch of their lives. I fail, I get nothing of what I want, but I never stop hoping and trying for something better.

The Old Man and the Sea
Written by Ernest Hemmingway
Price: Rs. 91 on Flipkart

30 Day Book Challenge: Day 10 & 11

2011-06-19T12:29:00.001+05:30

BOOK THAT CHANGED MY LIFE
This is rather hard to say, because no book has really changed my life per se... I alwys find it a little difficult to understand when people say that some book (or movie or song) has changed their life. But a lot of works have shaped my opinion, and below is one of the most important ones -

I strictly believe that people are either good or bad - no other distinction makes makes them any lesser to each other - not colour, sex, caste, creed or religion. And this was one of the first books that made me think about equality and understand its importance. It says that this book was one of the most influencing factors in abolishing slavery in America. But I think its basic ideas are still relevant, especially at times when we show so much intolerance towards each other.

Uncle Tom's Cabin
Written by Harriet Beecher Stowe
available at different price points, in abridged and unabridged editions; Available for Rs. 149 at Flipkart.

************************************************************

BOOK WRITTEN BY MY FAVOURITE AUTHOR
This was almost as hard as choosing my favourite book. Deciding on my favourite author was easy - in fact there was no competition at all. However. fixing on which book of his I like the most was not easy at all... after all, how do you choose from among the best.

Every time I read Marquez, I am gripped by his imagination and narration. The most outrageous ideas are put across by him in so gripping a manner that it's hard not to fall in love. I love One Hundred Years of Solitude, Memories of My Melancholy Whores and Love and Other Demons, as well as News of a Kidnapping. But the one story of his that I love the most has been Love in the Time of a Cholera. Aah for what is love after all if it can't transcend barriers of time with patience. Living at a time when relationships are often considered temporary measures and love overrated, the power of this love story suprises me, but also makes me appreciate the idea. This shows you why Marquez won the Nobel.

Love in the Time of Cholera
Written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Price Rs. 299

30-Day Book Challenge: Day 9

2011-06-18T00:14:00.000+05:30

BOOK THAT MAKES ME SICK
Like yesterday's post, I have not had much experience reading books that make me sick. Movies often do the job well for me.

I am not sure what made Mr. Higson, or the publishers decide that this book was meant for kids or young adults. In fact, was specifically asked not to review it in the children's newspaper I worked on at that point.And I am not really surprised why. No book has ever me cringe or worry so much as The Enemy - this wasn't fear. It was just a macabre thought. As the plot opens where children did the unthinkable to save their lives from folks who may well have been their parents, you are likely to be a little worried. And as a consequence to the plot, the actions of the children are not in the least childlike. Though sick as I felt, I am quite looking forward to reading the sequel... The Dead.

The Enemy
Written by Charlie Higson
Price Rs. 299

30-Day Book Challenge: Day 8

2011-06-17T00:05:00.000+05:30

BOOK THAT SCARES ME
Honestly, I haven't read too many scary books. I never felt attracted to those ones, and I am scratching my head for an answer right now. However, I did read this story, for a project, and though I never eventually chose this book as the final project, I was quite amazed by it.

This short story takes the story of the talisman granting three wishes and give it an incredible twist. I don't think I wanted to hear anything about talismans for a while after that. Since I haven't read an entire book, this short story comes the closest.

The Monkey's Paw
Written by WW Jacobs

30-Day Book Challenge: Day 7

2011-06-15T23:24:00.000+05:30

BOOK I CAN QUOTE/RECITE
Truth is I can't. My grandparents could, and so can my parents. But I've never been able to mug up a book enough to be able to read it without looking at it. I am pretty amazed, for instance, when I see actors reading out monologue plays like Naseeruddin Shah's stage performance of The Prophet (I detested the play however). So, I decided on a book, I can quote lines from.

When you've a book of some of the loveliest poems written by Pablo Neruda, it's very difficult not to be able to remember at least a few lines from the books. Whether it's cherry trees blossoming in spring or fractured nights, few poems (dealing with love, especially) have moved me as much as his.
Tonight I Can Write
Tonight I can write the saddest lines.
Write, for example, "The night is starry
and the stars are blue and shiver in the distance."
The night wind revolves in the sky and sings.
Tonight I can write the saddest lines.

Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair
Written by Pablo Neruda
Price Rs. 615. Available on discount at sites like Flipkart.

30-Day Book Challenge: Day 6

2011-06-14T23:53:00.000+05:30

FAVOURITE YOUNG ADULT BOOK
I haven't read too many young adult books, and I've rejected many of those from making it to this list. Today's story makes it to my list because of it's unusual story, and the fact that the publishers and writer thought that young ones would like to read a book like this.

This is a book that is meant for youngsters as much as older readers, which is possibly why the publishers came up with two separate covers (adjacent is the young adult cover; the adult cover is a simple black). When Lou meets No, a stray homeless girl, she decides to make her the subject of her project. But things take a turn when the two become friends, and Lou brings No to stay at her place. The rest is a bitter-sweet tale of friendship and growing up. As I read the book, I was completely taken by how well Vigan understood the minds of those so many years younger, and wrote a story that was so poignant but still so fresh and young.
The book, translated from its original French language, may not be available everywhere though, so you will have to look around.

No and Me
Written by Delphine de Vigan
Translated from the French by George Miller
Price Rs. 350

30-Day Book Challenge: Day 5

2011-06-13T23:22:00.000+05:30

BOOK THAT I WANT TO LIVE IN
I can finally say that I decided on this one without any hint of competition from any other book.

As Frodo, or Aragorn, or Legolas, or Sam, or Gandaf, or Galadriel, or Tom Bombadil, or just about anyone - I will take it, if it means living through the epic that this The Lord of the Rings. Every time I read the book, I get the feeling I could plunge right into one of the many world the characters pass through. That's the true magic of this book - it can entrance you and lead you into it's world. It took a genius of a man to spend his whole life crafting a whole new world, and as brilliant as this. My favourite fantasy novels, and one of my favourite books ever.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy
Written by JRR Tolkein
Prices vary for single volumes or three-in-one books. I bought my three solo volumes (more convenient reading) for Rs. 700 from the Strand Book Sale.

30-Day Book Challenge: Day 4

2011-06-12T23:27:00.001+05:30

BOOK THAT MAKES ME CRY
It doesn't take much to make me cry, whether it's a book, movie or even a piece of music. Often, it doesn't even have to be good work... it's just needs to tug at something inside me (happens dreadfully often). Which is why I have been very objective about today's challenge... I have cried over a lot of things, and they certainly will not make it to this list.

The influence of this book is immense, and for good reason. So profound, and yet said so simply. The Little Prince is one of the most loved and recommended books in the world. I am not one of those who long to go back to my childhood days, but to be able to see the sheep inside the box, I would do anything.

P.S: The books have delightful illustrations.

The Little Prince
Written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Price Rs. 70

30-Day Book Challenge: Day 3

2011-06-11T22:58:00.000+05:30

BOOK THAT MAKES ME LAUGH OUT LOUD
This challenge seems to be getting more and more difficult with each passing day. And now I am pretty sure that I have seen more funny movies than read funny books. A handful of names are running through my mind right now, most of them darkly humorous, but one title stands out.

I wonder what was the man thinking when he came up with the book. Few books have been cooler or funnier, and they have not been about aliens or restaurants at the end of the universe. I remember for days, as I lay reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and its sequels, I couldn't stop laughing. I had read the first part before I was about to give it to a friend as birthday gift... and never caught hold of the sequel. And then, during a Strand Book sale, I saw a hardbound version, with all the novels and stories, and gold-lined pages... nothing in this universe could've stopped me from buying that book. And it has been a good purchase.
I remember how disappointed I was to see the movie adaptation and how bland it was - nothing matches the laugh the story generates. I loved the first few stories the best... but all the books deserve to be read simply to see how far Douglas Adams stretched his imagination.

The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide
Written by Douglas Adams
Price: Aprrox Rs. 700. Each volume of the book is available for a cheaper price.

30-Day Book Challenge: Day 2

2011-06-10T20:42:00.001+05:30

MY LEAST FAVOURITE BOOK
This was possibly even more difficult than choosing my favourite - there are so many books to dislike. Though I find the term least favourite very confusing. Does it mean least favourite as a favourite, but not very? Or does it mean something I disliked? As I type this, I am still quite confused... but I think I will go with one I had great expectations from, but which absolutely didn't work for me.

I had always heard so much about how outrageous Khuswant Singh is, read a few of his columns, but I had never really read his books. I especially feel upset about never getting hold of a copy of Train to Pakistan, which I've heard brilliant things about. When a copy of the man's newest book, The Sunset Club, landed at my desk for a review, naturally, I got super excited.
Except that the excitement fizzled out a few pages into the book. The Sunset Club is the story of three old men, who meet regularly at Lodhi Gardens and discuss the affairs of the world (their personal lives thrown in, once every few pages). One of the characters bears a strong resemblance to Singh himself. All through the 200+ pages of the book, the men talk. And that is all they do - talk, argues, discuss, speculate. I felt like I was reading a slightly more narrative version of Singh's famous columns. I've already heard him say the things he wrote a hundred times... why would I need to hear them again?
I am sure there are folks out there who liked the book... after all, such things are always subjective. But I managed to finish the book simply because I try not to leave books half-read. And I was glad when it was over. Read the book only if you're a die-hard fan.

The Sunset Club
Written by Khushwant Singh
Price Rs. 399

30-Day Book Challenge: Day I

2011-06-09T23:01:00.000+05:30

I am beginning on the 30-Day Book Challenge today. Partly because I love books enough to do this. And partly because I've been very out of ideas lately, when it comes to blogging, and there is possibly nothing more inspiring for me than books themselves. So here goes...

MY FAVOURITE BOOK
This was a seriously difficult question. I have always evaded any questions about my favourite books, because I like so many that it's impossible to choose. I just looked through all my books, list of favourite books, and I just didn't know what to choose. But I've finally managed to zero down on one and it's a classic.

I read most of these books when I was a little too young - these were my substitutes for Enid Blyton and Hardy Boys. Not that I minded... from all the books I read, Wuthering Heights often stood out, as a novel and a love story. There was a haunting madness to the moors, to the relationships and most importantly to Heathcliff, that I've never been able to shake off. I was just reading about it as I am typing this, and I see that a lot of early critics found it hard to grasp the book. I think that's what made the book stand out - its strangely beautiful but baffling plot and narration.
I've liked many books old and new, which I would happily put in a list of favourites, but this one has probably stayed with me the longest - images of a big gloomy house, a tree blowing in the wind and Heathcliff and Catherine running wild in the moors.

Wuthering Heights
Written by Emily Bronte (her only book)
Published in many editions, both abridged and unabridged; prices differ according to publisher and edition.

2011-04-15T08:25:00.000+05:30

Today, I am returning to my oldest blog. Sometimes, change really isn't necessary. Happy New Year!

2010-02-12T22:40:00.000+05:30

When I was 16, I loved rummaging through my jewellery box everyday, to match each of my outfit. I would try to do something different with my make-up every single day. Life was a lot (not all, even then) about looking good and feeling great.

NOW

I wear the same unwashed clothes every second day. Ironed clothes seem an impossibility. My baubles have not even seen the light of day in a long time and I am worried I will have to throw away my make-up once they are spoilt from lack of use. And, somehow, this seems a much happier situation.

Paint benching at KGF

2010-02-07T21:15:00.000+05:30

We painted a park bench yesterday...as part of a project for beautifying the Horniman Circle during the Kalaghoda festival. The fact that I was sick and on rather strong medication made painting a little difficult, but it was fun, what so many absolute non-painters trying to make the seat look good.

After a few hours of bench painting, we watched the opening play of the festival - Dance like a Man - India's longest running English language play. The acting and the plot were quite brilliant. Though I was disappointed to see that there was no dancing, only its mention.
For all those in Mumbai, the Kalaghoda festival is a must visit. There's something for everyone - dance, music, literature, theatre, art, shopping, food, whatever you want! There's still about a week of it left.
Wish Calcutta had something like this too.

Alter ego

2010-01-27T00:15:00.001+05:30

It feels good to watch those around me settled at times...people who have simple needs and wants in life. And a precise plan to follow them. The roommate who sticks to her job because she knows she wants the job, who has a plan to marry and settle in a suburban town; the woman in the train who looks happy and content sitting with a child on her lap and a mother (or mother-in-law) chatting away; the colleague who knows exactly how much time to give to being in office because there are things he needs to do at home; the ex-classmate who is constantly trying to prove she's the best. There's a routine to it, that seems self-assuring...like they know what they are doing with their lives. Like there's a goal they are working towards. and they are close to achieving all of it.
But seconds later, thoughts hover towards the other side - the uncertainty of not knowing what to do, the smoke rising out of idle cigarette and weed breaks, living like a junkie, confusion, not knowing much about what to do beyond a few days or hours, sleeping away the days and nights into oblivion, not caring much about the means or the ends, living in lost revolutions - yeah, they seem much better. Even if you think this is a convoluted thought, an attempt to be cooler, or the signs of a 'loser' as the roommate labels it with great confidence. Who says what you say is right? We wait for a judgement...from a real authority. Till then, let us live, mired in the confusion...it's peaceful here.

Train train...

2010-01-11T21:57:00.001+05:30

Getting into a local train in Mumbai during office hours is no less than an adventure. It's almost like playing on your PlayStation - you need courage (to combat the crowd rushing towards you), aggression (to yell back louder than those yelling at you or push back people, as deemed necessary) and strategy (to move precisely at the right time to avoid getting scratched or stuck among sweaty, irritated passengers).

However, even all of these combined in great degrees can prove to be futile at times. Especially when your local train is about 15 minutes late (amounts to a century when the time is 9.45 am) and there are two dozen women waiting to get into the first class compartments. It's about thrice as many queuing up for the second class. Once you are inside though, there's little difference between the two classes. Except perhaps that the second class travellers abuse in Hindi/Marathi while those in the first class prefer English. And while you may get scratched in the former, it's the high heels of a shoe or the shove of a sophisticated bag that's likely to hit you in the latter.

Unfortunately, there's little one can do about it. Unless of course, Didi decides to introduce around 50 new trains on each local line. Till then, it's best to keep the video game skills handy...

Sunday musings

2010-01-11T00:21:00.001+05:30

Ever since I joined work, close to 10 months (how time flies), this was my first Sunday, where I actually had to work. As in, go out and work...but it wasn't too bad. I had my first v.big interview with RK Pachauri...and I rode through the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, for the first time. Not that I could admire it's beauty or magnificence much...I was busy trying to ensure that the dictaphone was positioned properly.

Also, I became part of a celebrity shopping experience. Dr. Pachauri was taken to a rather upmarket store (from where I was once gifted a rather expensive dress I have never worn) because he needed a tie (he grumbled that the place looked too expensive). Somebody recognised him (obviously!) and decided to accompany him, help him choose ties, apologised for not having matching hankies and then promptly had a photo taken of them together on his IPhone.

All in all, not a very bad day :)

Newbie!

2010-01-08T22:59:00.001+05:30

My new blog -

http://sohinidey.wordpress.com/

Will continue to blog here as well. Not abandoning blogspot as yet.

This year, I wish to...

2010-01-06T22:46:00.003+05:30

earn more money
get back in touch with a lot of people
learn a new dance form
go running...everyday
get back from work early as much as possible
write more of what I like
go on a real holiday
perfect my grammar
be more tolerant
try out a new cuisine
eat healthy (more veggies!) and drink more water
learn to cook five new dishes
speak my mind
buy red lipstick and smooth liquid liner (expensive, hence makes it to this list)
save enough dough
take more photographs
visit home as much as possible

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Soooshyyyy...

2009-12-28T23:09:00.001+05:30

After a painfully boring and uneventful (Eve)ning, Christmas afternoon was spent engaging in some rather new activities - like gorging on quite a few plates of sushi...never mind that I ended up with the most terrible stomach upset after that. Who cares for ailments and a few antibiotics when there's so much around to eat, raw fish included,...and a big buffet bill to make the best of?
Anyway, now about the lunch...the restaurant was Global Fusion, whose interiors matched the red and gold dress, I had donned for the occasion. The not too small bill amount ensured that we tucked in more than we could. Never knew there were so many kind of sushi...some of them had suspiciously unJapanese names. Not that the Japanese names were any great mark of authenticity...they could have been Thai and I wouldn't have known the difference. My companion was, however, severely disappointed that the sushi had more of sticky rice than actual raw fish...aww, such is life, dearies!

Handy tip: When tasting sushi/sashimi, keep your expectations low...and never, ever go overboard (despite para 1's care not statement)...nothing is as bad as puking through the night :(

Image credit: ©2004-2009 ~flowerteardrop

2009-12-19T21:24:00.001+05:30

After weeks of planning and giving up...and spending quite a few of the last hours staring at my computer screens, I have finally decide to try and bring my blog back to life (for the nth time). It starts with a new template...

The great Mumbaiya Durga Pujo countdown

2009-10-01T13:25:00.001+05:30

I spent most of the second half of Durga Pujo 2009 hopping pandals around Mumbai – of course, there are Bengalis here too, who love to celebrate the festival with much gusto and attempt to relive their Bangaliana (if there is such a word) during these five days. So I cruised from one end of the city to the other searching for pandals and I can proudly say that while most colleagues and friends managed to catch only about one pujo or two, I checked out seven pujos up close and another two from a distance. This is what I found –

There are many, many, many, many, many Durga pujo pandals in Mumbai, pretty much one in every area. It’s wonderful to see how many Bengalis live here and come together annually to make sure so many pandals are set up all across the city.
People dress up way too much, much more than those in Kolkata.
There is no us-them feeling between different paraas. Everyone who walks can partake of the Prasad/bhog.
There are some amazing cultural programmes.
The ‘Bengali food’ available around the pandals can burn a big hole in your pocket.

Anyway, now for lack of better things to do, I made up my very own rating of which pujo scores well on different grounds. Please note that this list is based on the rather limited number of Pujos I managed to visit.

Most homely pujo: Tejpal hall (Peddar Road) - It’s one of the oldest pujos in the city and despite the long line of big cars queued outside and the flamboyant and obviously expensive clothes and accessories, the place has a very barir pujo feeling to it.
Best pandal: Powai – It was a massive pandal created in the form of a sandstone castle and was created quite well.
Most overrated pujo: Juhu Road – This is ‘famed’ as Rani Mukerjee’s pujo. Or so I heard. Celebrities flitting in and out of the pandal, serving the afternoon bhog, blah, blah, blah. We walked in to see nobody except a rather lackluster pujo. Moreover, what’s with the celeb-obsession. Since when did Bipasha Basu and Shaan become the chief attractions of a Durga pujo for god’s sake?!
Most innovative: Pujos in Mumbai score rather low on innovation…no fancy (or shall we say, creative?!) pandals or protimas here. But this small pujo opposite PVR Juhu, that we coincidentally stumbled upon, had golden protimas, which were comparatively unusual and interesting.
Best fish fry: Based on multiple comments, I have come to the conclusion that it was at the Sree/Ma Durga snacks place at the Powai pandal. A thick layer of fried bhetki coated by a well-fried batter…yummy!
Most expensive: Lokhandwala – All you could see around that place were expensive, high end food joints. Whoever pays 95 bucks for a single piece of fish fry!
Value for money: Again, this goes to the little pujo opposite PVR, Juhu. The only place that came the closest to Kolkata pricing policy in terms of food.
Best fair: The Powai pujo for making optimum use of the large playground where the celebrations were held. Food stalls, curio and clothes stores filled up every inch of the venue. Shivaji Park comes a close second.
Best ambience: Powai – The only place where you knew it was a pujo from 500 yards outside the pandal. Twinkling bulbs adorned the trees outside and you could see Bengali families queuing up to enter the place.

However there was one thing that not even the best pandal got us in Mumbai. Pujos in Kolkata are as much about pandal hopping, eating and worshipping, as much as it is about spending time with friends and families around the venue of the pujo, soaking in the atmosphere of the place. Durga pujo is in the air during those five days. I found it missing here. I have heard that a pujo in Vashi (now shifted to Panvel) comes close, but I will have to probably wait for another pujo to discover that.

Whiny post

2009-09-07T13:21:00.001+05:30

It's rather ironic - the circumstances udner which I am bloggin again today. When I had stopped blogging post my last piece in April 28, it was because I got tired. Tired of writing sad and pessimistic posts. It felt like I had nothing worthwhile to say.
Today, as I discreetly type this out from my computer in office (haven't got a conenction at home), I still don't have anythign good to say. I hate, hate, absolutely hate what I am doing, I feel lonely and pissed and I seem to be having a strange allergic reaction to chillies. Oh yes, and I am tryign very hard to save.
Last week was my nth attempt to resign from the job. I let myself be drawn away from that idea yet again...like a complete invertebrate. There was a reason of course - I have no other job to turn to and I need all the money I can get. Sitting at home waiting for a job to come my way is not really an option I can afford. So here I am, rotting away in front of a prehistoric computer writing nonsense, while others do better things.
:( :( :( :( :(

Maybe....

2009-04-28T14:48:00.002+05:30

Reclusive pianists tap-dancing on bar tops, storytellers on fascinating journeys across hills and deserts, troubled detectives trying to solve gruesome murder mysteries - dancers, artists, business tycoons, superheroes…

Maybe I just want to live the lives of the people I read about in the books. And if their reality eventually turns out to be as mundane as mine, I would like to be stuck between the pages of the book, enacting what the author puts into the pages…

2009-03-26T00:00:00.001+05:30

I was watching Pursuit of Happyness for the umpeenth time (it's one of my favourite films) when this part comes...Chris Gardner talking about how did Thomas Jefferson know that happiness is always something we pursue...

It's funny how films, lyrics sometimes voice our thoughts, so much better than we can ever do.

Things always eventually get better...I mean, how long can thing remain bad, after a point, even the worst has to recover. But while that very worst is on, it's often hard to even imagine that you are ever going to get out of it.

There are so many things said that are meant to inspire and motivate. If you truly want something, the universe conspires to bring it to you (or something like that!) If you are passionate about what you do, nobody can stop you from reaching your goals. Like hell, they can!

If only everything inside here could just go quiet for a little while...just blank out...

2009-03-19T00:39:00.001+05:30

I used to think the problems and worries of one's life were meant to be kept to oneself. At the msot close family members and friends would know. My parents discussed their "issues" in hushed tones over phones or in carefully sealed intimate letters. Whether it was a break-up or a sick family member, one's problems weren't meant to be gossip...

How very ironical that these days, even the slightest hint of agony becomes a flashing update on the FBs and GTalks of the world! Suddenly everyone knows and 'shares' our grief (catfights, sorrow, tears, worry, failure)...the cyber world is the new best place to rant (see previous post for example). Who cares that one of the more explicit updates can become the latest food for gossip in town...This is the place where our life often ends up stripped to its basics...what a freaking tragedy!

The bigger irony...I am lamenting this trend on the same medium

RANT!!!

2009-03-12T23:26:00.002+05:30

Students of Yale University come out with a daily newspaper...and I am struggling to bring out my college's yearly mag. And no, I aint entirely to blame. I thought it was a students magazine...STUDENTS...by them, for them. But no, now I realize it's hardly that way. Nothing goes into print unless it has passed the cautious approval of the teachers. Most of whose scanning system I don't agree with. Because a much better written piece on boys indulging in drugs is rejected in favour of a shittily written story on how a stupid girl gets adicted and realises her mistake. Reason, the first story isn't 'clear'...of course, it isn't...it isn't meant to...dude, students don't want moral science lessons in the magazine. Half the good novels in the world have a warped, delusional feeling to them...Kubla Khan, which I hope the teachers teach, was written in a similar fit. Hello...come into the real world. It's not about sheltering 'damsels in distress' from the wolf. It's about empowering them enough to decide whose the wolf.

What is wrong with the institution and its decision maker?! Why is every shred of thought so deeply scanned to reject and idea that is even slightly deviant? Why are the ideas flowing through the place so hackneyed and conservative? Why is the cover painting of a girl with scarlet lips seen as slutty (which by the way, the accusers refuse to pronounce. "This picture...doesn't it look...you know?!") Why are students in psychology classes shown videos of abortion and asked to refrain from sex? If we are taught to be women of the 21st century, why is every girl in the college being groomed into 19th century Jane Austen heroines.

I have half a mind to resign from my duties, but its a tad late and we might as well get it over with. But maybe next year, they should just stop all this hypocrisy and take over this thing they call the mag themselves. All students will have to do is write their tiny stories and poems, and feel gratified if they are chosen to be published.

GOODBYE...

2009-02-28T16:07:00.001+05:30

Over the last three years, I dragged myself at times, convincing that college would end...and the trauma would be finally over. But now that it's really over, I am slightly sad...I cried a few tears at the farewell yesterday, I felt a strange sense of sadness every time a prof said "Goodbye. And do well."

I never liked my college. Even now, I would rather leave than stay on. But there were bits and parts of it that I know I will miss. My tiny TY class, fun moments even with those profs i didn't particularly like, working on some of the world's most hilarious projects, faffinf about thing I knew nothing of, acting kiddy and clingy in class, snatching at food (precisely the reason I was crowned for being Miss Bhuki yesterday) and pendulating between boredom, anger and happiness...

It has been a good three years. A classmate's GTalk status says - "and it's time to move on yet again." But I think there are good memories to cling on too.

2009-02-06T16:48:00.001+05:30

I made a new blog today. Sometimes, I sometimes can't believe what is happening in the country. But this blog, with its digs at threading and life in general makes it a rather inappropriate place to talk about more 'serious' issues.

http://newsbroadcasting.blogspot.com/

What's in a name??

2009-01-28T17:20:00.001+05:30

Even if I do change my name after my marriage, how does it prove that I am a virtuous wife...no matter what Sanjay Dutt says?

And who's gets to keep their own name, if it's a man marrying a man, or a woman marrying a woman?

And why do I have to change my name after marriage, when I have lived my life and made my career with the name I was born with?

And why are educated men, who otherwise vouch for women's rights, suddenly get so frigid when it comes to what names their girlfriends and wives use?

Thoughts after a discussion in class on the subject that has sparked off questions, discussions and a lot of unwarranted fights between otherwise perfectly happy couples...

THREADING TROUBLES

2009-01-24T09:40:00.001+05:30

No pain, no gain, they say. Becoming beautiful isn't any easy task and any women can guarantee this fact. You know what I mean if you have been through a process called waxing. Well, I usually keep my decibel level to an absolute minimum, usually on silent, there are some who believe in screaming their hearts out to ease the pain. I thought, after ten-fifteen times, the pain ceases to register, but maybe I am wrong...

But threading, my dear mates, is a different ballgame. Ten, fifteen or fifteen hundred times, the pain does not seem to diminish much. So before each time, I need to visit a salon for the holy ritual, I go through much mental preparation...not that it helps much. I still end up shedding tears of agony every time, no matter how much I try not to.

Moreover, threading is an ART. One wrong move and the shape of your eye brow gets, shall we say, F&$K** up for the next twenty days. Let me tell you how - year 2007, my usual salon (of those days) ended up shaping both my eye brows in different directions. My optimism that nobody would notice did not help much. About a week later, sitting in a coffeeshop, the person in front of me suddenly went, "Um, where do you get your eyebrowsdone? "Er,why? "Don'tget it done there again, it's hopelessly out of place." Oh dear!!!

I am always on my eternal search for that perfect salon, which can shape my eyebrows the right way. Hasn't happened yet. Too thick, too thin, too short, too wrong...it's somehow never ok. The greatest debacle of course occured yester day when I paid 90 bucks for my eyebrows. Is it a lot, you ask. Well, I usually pay 30. And all this, in the quest of that perfect pair of eyebrows. Across geographical barriers, my search continues...

And upper lip threading is quite another story. It's not unlikely to hear the screams and see tears fall evertime the threads moves swiftly over the lips. And manipulating the skin and holding it tight doesn't help much...

But I, and many others like me, despite the pain and anguish, continue to do it, month after month. because we are told it makes us prettier and cleaner. And no pain, I suppose, can deter women from their questy for eternal beauty.

January 20, 2009

2009-01-20T16:38:00.001+05:30

Too much work...damn, I can't wait to get out...probably from the frying pan to the fire...but right now I prefer the fire to this goddamned frying pan, from which even the non-sticky fibre is peeling out...

And I need the internet at home!!!!!!!!!!

2009-01-13T19:06:00.002+05:30

My big, big discovery of the day...drawing lines on MS Word...oh, and learning to manipulate text boxes...what was I doing all this while, when the world was busy changing?

First post 2009

2009-01-10T16:40:00.000+05:30

It's been 10 days since 2009 started and life is passing prtty much in a dizzy here, with my plans of blogging dailyhaving got busted...but let me start with this...

I, or rather my class, has been told today that bloggers from Calcutta don't exactly make their presence felt in the cyberworld :( What made me regret was it was kinda true. The conclusion that came from the discussion was that Bengalis like their books (read: old fashioned) and are yet to take up blogging seriously...

Mumbai has a very dedicated set of bloggers, who blog consistently and constantly about everything that is happening around, discuss various issues, know each other, use online interactivity to the fullest to communciate in real time. Most of us on the other hand use blogs as our personal journals, writing poetry, discussing our day-to-day lives etc...which is absolutely fine, I mean, I do it too. But I guess, we should have a more proactive voice in issues that are occuring around us...especially considering the easy and cheap availability and wide reach reach of the internet.

One can say of course that it was done in the case of Singur and Nandigram, and it is true, but it really isn't enough, when you compare it to the kind of information flow that happened on the net during 26/11 or for even day to day news among Mumbai bloggers...

I do think, after spending these last few years outside the city, that Calcuttans should voice their opinions louder. A statistical achievement of being a metropolitan isn't always enough after all...

Aftermath

2008-12-22T18:07:00.001+05:30

All newspapers today have the same headline - the Taj and the Trident have reopened. An ad in a leading newspaper yesterday said - WELCOME HOME, AGAIN...with a picture of the Taj. HOME?! Surprising, ain't it...considering 90% people of Mumbai will never be able to afford a meal here. Almost 70% if not more won't even be allowed to enter the hotel, perhaps. All arguments accepted...The damage caused to the two hotels isn't permissible, but a hotel burning down and then reopening isn't more important than all the lives which have gone, or could have gone. But of course, the media is more interested in the hotels, and the grand parties, and the celebrities who attend the peace rallies, and mourn the destruction of their favourite fine dine restaurants...

21 blasts rocked Ahmedabad in July 2008...9 blasts in Bangalore...18 blasts across Assam on bhai phonta...173 people killed in Mumbai during 26/11, the maximum at VT...Why didn't VT make it to the front page headlines when people took the train 2 days later to work...nd why did Taj and Trident?...Why is it enough only when the Taj or the Trident has been attacked, because for the first time, an attack has made perpetrated on the powerful...why are leaders being criticized by people of a constituence, where the participation in last election was less than 20%? Whose fault is it that there are no good leaders?

An attack on Taj is an attack on the 'Grand Old Lady of Mumbai'...fair enough...but what about the common man?!

The Tale of the Great Tomato Eyes

2008-12-16T17:52:00.000+05:30

It came and settled right in place...above my left eye. As if a choked nose wasn't enough trouble already. I have been surviving with a big, fat red eye from the past few days, and walking around indoors wearing sunglasses, much to everyone's perplexity. Of course, it would help if I could just stop working for a couple of days, but the perils of modern metropolitan life don't allow that...so here I am, with itching left eye, typing out blog posts...and writing pointless stories on South Africa.

And the tomato is making its presence felt again...so, taking a break till next post :P

Being part of the world's most important city

2008-12-01T15:57:00.000+05:30

I could have been in one of the theatres near VT on Thurday night, or so had been a plan, but I wasn’t there, when two guys, pretty much my age, began firing blindly inside the station killing innumarable.

I am a part of what was last week the most important city in the world. But there was no reason for joy, because the reasons that brought Mumbai into the limelight were no happy ones. It's fame rested on corpses lined across VT station, in bodies floating in the swimming pools of luxury hotels, in the dilapidated facades of landmark hotels of the cities, in the fear of people cooped inside their houses, in the cries and anxiety of people not only of the city, but of those living all around the world. It rests on the cries of baby Moshe whose parents died a day before his 2nd birthday, on the tears of those who waited for their families and friends to come back home but who never did. Celebrities, talented chefs, innocent pedestrians, businessmen- over the last weekend, terror penetrated the city, irrespective of class and creed.

And two days after the operation is finally over, the city is engulfed in countless debates- are we safe? What if not all the terrorists were caught? Why wasn't there efficient prevention? Why did the intelligence fail? Will the Taj ever recover? Why were silly celebrities splashed all over the media, giving 'expert' comments on the event? Why didn't political leaders do anything when there was time? Why are they now putting condolence hoardings all over the city? Can the government ever do anything for us, our safety? What are we to do? There are discussions, and suspicions- in endless numbers. And there are but a few oft repeated solutions, all critical but hardly heeded to. Beef up the security system, elect sincere leaders, be more vigilant about your surroundings, spend more on internal defence equipments than on election campaigning...

"Enough is enough" is what newspapers and TV ...it's time for a change. Going by the general pace at which chanegs occur in our country, I am doubtful of what will happen about this incident. maybe like dozens of others before it, it too will take decades before a judgement can be passed. That is if it is not forgotten. Candlelight vigils and mourning is all fine, but what is probably going to be more effective is a more proactive role of the masses in participating in the political system as well as in choosing leaders who will not just make tall claims and blame rival parties, but work where it really matters.

It's hard to say when will the change occur...till then, a country of a hundred billion waits in anticipation.

2008-11-25T12:29:00.000+05:30

A trip to Essel World has long been on my wishlist...whoever comes to Mumbai, and doesn't go there. So I finally made a trip last Sunday, with three friends in tow. We took a ferry down Gorai Creek...the park is quite isolated from the rest of the city, unlike Nicco Park. The ferry ride didn't have much to show except foamy dirty water. I hadn't had breakfast before I left and thank heavens for that. I am quite sure I would have thrown up everything. I also screamed like nobody has ever seen or heard me scream...and was made fun of due to that :(

Slippery 's the first ride in the park and the strangest. Don't be surprised if the caretaker of the ride is quite discouraging. It's the stupidest one in the lot. You place yourself in a sack and manually slip down a long, dry slide. The only ride I didnt go on...didn't regret it much either.

I don't think I have ever been more scared than I was when on the Thunder...what was I supposed to do. I was hanging upside down 70 feet above the ground...I thought I was dying. It didn't help much that the protection devices were severely loose. My companion tried to come to rescue, but was a little late...I had by then tried to get the ride stopped, screamed my heart out and scared all other riders into shocked silence and laughter. I came out of it with a headache and mortal fear of windmill type rides.

A mirror maze led us to some funny dusty mirrors, in need of quick cleaning or replacement. There's a horror house too, which is so stupid that it's not even funny. My friends suggested a few improvements...though I don't think anyone's listening.

Ice- skating can be a tough job, or so we learned in our 30 minutes at the skating rink. You haven't skated on ice unless you have fallen a few times. I fell once, and incurred a few injuries whcih are still troubling me. Dee of course went for a toss quite a few times and was quite the centre of attraction in the rink. He even made a few friends, fellow fallers in the ice. We have never been more grateful to step into our shoes, as we were after the half hour was over.

Some other must try-out rides- Aqua Dive, which lands you in 5 feet deep water, the Giant Wheel, roller coasters Hula Loop and Zyclone (though I think Cyclone in Nicco Park is much better), the rainbow, a toned down version of Thunder, and of course, Thunder too. Never ever try out the Rock and Roll- it's perennially irritating and can give you a severe head /neck ache. And you have the bumping cars of course, which had the longest queues.

At 500 bucks inclusive of all rides, Essel World is actually quite cheap. It would have been cheaper though had we landed there on a weekday. And the food is seriously expensive. Even Dominos Pizza charges high rates.

We also had to give Water Kingdom a miss, though I quite like the idea of spending a day floating under gallons of water. Maybe I should make a trip there too. but for now, am now trying to recover from different kinds of after effects ailing my body, being threatened to be taken on the even bigger jumbo roller coasters, narrated accounts of those who have the guts to ride Thunder consequtively 11 times and of course being laughed at.

Back to the Grind :(

2008-11-20T17:04:00.000+05:30

So I am back...after a whole month of sleeping through strange hot and cold afternoons, gorging on streetfood and running scared of cats...back to the city of nauseating heat, half- baked classes and boringly busy work. I am feeling quite despite, despite all the work I have- endless work assignments, fairy tedious 50 minute long lectures in college, compiling and editing a magazine, carrying around an almost continuous headache and eating horrendously sweet dinner each night. It seems like I have been in Mumbai for a month, it's just been three days.

The city would have perhaps seemed better if I did not have to live the lifestyle of a refugee. But since I do, the city, I guess will have to wait for a while at elast before it can get a better appraisal from me.

Or maybe it's just what I do. The media seems like the most superficial place to work in these days. All that hullabaloo about the might of the pen, the power of creativity, the ability to change the world...hardly ever works that way when you are into the field. Well, the bubble is going to burst some day. And I am going to sit and laugh...even if I am bursting along with it. Till then, maybe I should look for suitable back-up plans.

Where is all the madness gone? Where's all the guts?? It's all gone...poof. Somewhere. Incognito.

Anyway, it's just the usual ranting...here are some photos...of the Great Calcutta Holiday

With the gang, in front of South City Mall on my birthday...

At 2 am...that's me sleeping

With Solo...
With Onn

2008-10-31T17:43:00.000+05:30

I should be posting something, anything...but I dunno what...the effects of not having net in close proximity. Kolkata cyber cafes have lately started demanding photo IDs before one can use the internet. That's just another reason why I ain't seen around these days.

Will be writing something more substantial soon.

Letter back home...

2008-09-25T21:01:00.000+05:30

To those back home,

I switched on a Bangla TV channel the other day...after a long long time. And saw commercial breaks full of ads offering special pujo discounts. It was suddenly unnerving to see those commercials...quite sad too. To think that while it's so silent here, at home, you can hear the first beats of the dhaak, see the sky cloaked in scarlet every evening (when i was younger, ma said the red colour was the goddess' sari put out to be dried before she came home), see girls and boys preparing to perform at the paraar pujo, read in the daily newspapers about what new innovations the pujo pandals are coming up with, pandals being put up...

And when pujo comes, you will all walk out of your homes, into the frangrance of the incense, to the chantings, to the laughter, fun and frolic...to the serpentine queues outside the famous pandals, to pujo parikrama, to khichudi bhog, to the crowds, to the jubilation...

And I...sitting hundreds of miles will miss all these agian...like the last few years...the air here is so unaware of the goddess that she slips my memory sometimes...and as you plan your pujo itinerary and buy new clothes, I wait in my room cramming statistics and facts for my exams...which will happen through each day of pujo. And to those who stay there and complain about the crowd and the noise during these five days, the silence here can be severely uncomfortable.

2008-09-15T17:22:00.000+05:30

My right toe nail is breaking off...right from the middle of the nail bed. I have been looking intensely at it several times everyday, wondering when is it going to fall off, will it hurt if it just falls off, what if I rip it off...blah blah blah...
I have also been wondering what am I going to do on my birthday (which is a little more than a month away) and feeling hungry at regular intervals...and wondering how to handle getting fat before budday.
All these thoughts while I am giving preliminary exams and preparing for university semesters which are exactly twenty days away...
Ok, so the prelims are fake...they began today. I spent Sunday eating out all over town, and watching King Lear, oops, sorry The Last Lear. Amitabh Bachchan actually did a good job, though I could picture Utpal Dutta in every shot. Arjun Rampal is also getting better, but Priety Zinta was incredibly bad in most scenes. Also, English dialogues can, at times, be very painful.
I walked into the college, having forgotten half my notes behind, to give the exams. Then my professor comes and assures me that I don't have to know all the scams that have rocked the world since time began, simply because he hasn't asked any questions on it. Not that it helps...I will nevertheless have to learn it for final semesters.
The invigilator urged students at the beginning of the exams, to pretend that it was serious business. Surprisingly, most people did. They sat on till the end, answered as much as possible, did not talk and righteously gathered to discuss answers at the end. What nerdiness!!! Students, last year, had fallen asleep in the middle of the exams...we can never be spoilt enough.
I have realized though that i am an awfully slow writer. And I have superbly spidery handwriting, which my profs threathen that examiners will not understand.
And I have finished with all my projects...a day before the prelims, which also accounts for why I never studied for it.
Also till a week before the exams, I was busy with Kaleidoscope...that's the college festival. My realizations from organization a festival in Mumbai-

Mumbai colleges take their festivals way too seriously
It turns into a pestige instead of a place to interact with other colleges
It also turns into potential flirting arena
Too much money is spent into the organization at times
Rock shows should be organized in the open
There are some serious problems with perceptions of sex and vulgarity in colleges here
There should be a party to wrap up the festival.

2008-09-15T16:41:00.000+05:30

Mumbai colleges take their festivals way too seriously
It turns into a pestige instead of a place to interact with other colleges
It also turns into potential flirting arena
Too much money is spent into the organization at times
Rock shows should be organized in the open
There is some serious problems with perceptions of sex and vulgarity in colleges here
There should be a paty to wrap up the festival.

Back...

2008-08-21T23:24:00.000+05:30

Sometimes, in a flicker you just lose the best moments...it hurts all the more when you badly want it to make a precious one...and one stupid word...and it's just gone...I really need to learn to hold my tongue...I was told that by someone long ago...its feeling downright awful...

I have been on four week long blog sabbatical...nobody even asked me to blog :-( what is the tag board here for anyway...nobody loves me...
(only sohini sr did)

Anyway, reasons for sabbatical are many and varied...first, stupid net connection is acting, well, stupid!!! I have also been doing projects...including one where I had to go around finding the number of street lights in the ward I stay in (5242), Garbage generation per day: 375 MT and number of trees (which I couldn't find); I have also interviewed a leader of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena on their pro-Marathi policies and unlike what most people around me thought, I didn't get into any trouble (the guys were quite nice and gave me the entire interview in english when they realised I ain't from the state).

I have also been forcibly sent to a counselling session...where I was expected to speak about the problems students in my course speak...pissed at being ordered, instead of being asked, I kept mum through the entire hour long session...and came out of it feeling quite proud of myself...

And I have been trying to take interviews for the college magazine committee...it's been rather bad with most of the girls (mine's a girls college remember?). This lil bitch told me that since I am the editor and I supervise, so she guesses I do nothing (grrr)...another one was worried that she wouldn't be selected because I only asked her 3 questions, yet another was so nervous that she forgot her own phone
number...oh yes, and another one wants to be on the committee coz she's never been on one...I hate taking interviews.period.

Life's too often a bitch...

P.S: Please never...ever take an internet connection from Airtel...not even if it's free...

2008-07-17T11:26:00.000+05:30

A lone star shows travellers

their way through dark stormy nights.

In Atlantis, the Gods roll their dices

Men below count their fates

on palms and painted cards.

Up among meandering clouds,

we play our secret games.

Till it rains.

Like fallen angels, we drop down...

2008-07-09T21:39:00.000+05:30

The amount of work I keep trying to juggle all the time seriously gets to me at times. Trying to find out the number of trees and streetlights (among lotsa other things) in the area I stay in can be a tiring task. Trying to find out why dog owners never bother to wipe away their pets' poo from the streets seems even worse though. All these activities because I am on the threshold of a career in serious journalism. Never mind that I might actually end up with a job in a 'Cosmo' magazine...I should be perfect for it, atleast according to one person.

There are some things to calm me down though. Passing the sea everyday on my way to work...watching the waves lash and break on the stone promenades. Walking on half-empty roads early in the morning. Talking to friends, even though most of them are miles away. (Thank human innovation for cellular phones and the internet!) Keeping secrets. Getting drenched in the rains with kids. Daydreaming through lectures. Looking at lighted skyscrapers out of my window. Smiling to myself.

I think I will grow back my hair...waist length, like it was before.

Am happy these days...just generally, happy!!!

2008-07-02T22:50:00.000+05:30

Its weird when you are trying so hard to say something...and all that flashes in front of you is a "Disconnected" sign...
IsaNybODyLIsteninG????

2008-06-24T22:21:00.000+05:30

I finally have internet on my laptop again...not having an internet feels like being handicapped sometimes...bad habit, I know. But what can one do when most of your best friends are available only on the internet...

Carrying on from last post...I have found myself a PG in posh Mumbai area...and along with it, a cheap dabba dinner (cheaper than you can imagine...take a guess?!). It's ok, except that I have slightly noisy roommates, with fairly chomu taste in music...and whose great obsession in life is to attend parties orgtanised by Maxim Magazine.

24 hours are beginning to seem less nowadays. I work, work, work all day...till I hit the roof, and then slip into this state of, what I call, being tranquilized. A strange, warm feeling...liking everything is melting around me and I don't even care.

Am finally beginning to leave behind my old baggages...though new ones are rapidly taking their place. I don't think I want new ones...but a little part is hoping they won't eventually turn out to be baggages again...

Rules...made by fools!!!

2008-06-13T11:51:00.000+05:30

Girls’ hostels in Mumbai are among the biggest showpieces the city has…the reason? The brilliant rules most of them come up with, of course. While those living in working girls hostels still manage somehow (I assume so, since they seem happier than me students living in the city have to cope with…um, rather incredible rules.

A Mumbai Central hostel (Kareena Kapoor mentions it in Jab We Met…the hostel’s claim to fame) where I have stayed for the last two years…students were earlier supposed to enter the hostel by 7.30 pm (Note: The sun merely sets at 7.30 pm in Mumbai). Poor students…we never had much of a choice. Any protest and we were likely to get thrown out.

This year, I have found a new set of rules…the deadline has been extended to 8 pm, but now, we can’t use our laptops in our rooms coz we will not be provided with electric connections. So what are we supposed to do? Work in a large hall, which have a number of common plug points…I wonder whether the management gave a thought to the fact that while there are just about 7-8 plug points, at least 40 girls in the hostel have laptops. What are the others to do? No answer!

Moreover, even after two years, I still have to give an interview to stay on for another year. Some belief system the hostel functions by. In case anyone plans to come and stay in a hostel located at Mumbai Central…get in touch with me. I shall give you a hundred reasons to avoid that place.

Other hostels have equally weird rules. A college hostel in the city takes away the cell phones of the students every night. The reason? Girls should not ‘chit- chat’ with their boyfriends. Dinner is served at 6 pm. What are students to do for the rest of the night? No answer!Fresh vegetables are added into the same curry everyday, till by the fourth day, you don’t know what you are eating. And you can rest assured that you will not be allowed to step out of the hostel during Valentine’s Day.

Another hostel has allotted one bathroom for 25 people…incidentally the fees there touch about 5 grands (what for?). Yet another one has refrained from having any plug points at all in the hostel…students must learn to live a pious life…but excuse me, how are cell phones or ironing boards going to make my life impious? Oh yes, and of course a superbly famous sea facing government hostel, where the annual fees is 5 thousand, but the bribe that must be paid to get in is 5 lakhs.

I am surprised people still ask me why I don’t want to stay in a hostel…someone suggested I do a sting operation on hostels when I become a full time journalist…I have half a mind to…

2008-05-28T10:18:00.000+05:30

"Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is it vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished, as the once vital voice of the verisimilitude now venerates what they once vilified. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin van-guarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose vis-à-vis an introduction, and so it is my very good honor to meet you and you may call me Vee."

Presenting... (drum rolls, applause!!!)...

Inihos in & as...

VEE...vampire superwoman in black suit, red cape and pink eye mask...fat, pink glasses act as camouflage at other times...and of course a vampire tooth!!!

Logo conceptualised by Debo.

On the cards...film with Van Helsing...story, screenplay, direction by Debo (ain't missing anything, am I???)...Vee laguage (courses will be a lil expensive), Vee soft toys and Vee TV shows...

Watch out for all of it!!!

2008-05-07T14:11:00.000+05:30

I just can't seem to be able to write anything...except silly newspaper articles of course...which don't make any difference in the world, except take up a lot of newspaper space, and lead to forest depletion...and what's worse, am not getting paid for it...bhaal laagey naa :(... there's also a dance exam, which I have great chances of flunking...tried to convince my teacher to allow me to coem in with a plaster on my leg, she doesn't seem to like the idea...what do I do?? how am I supposed to learn up 3 classical dances in a month, which others take 2 years to learn...exam's next week just by the way!!!

and the worst problem of all...I don't have the time to even try to write anything...am rapidly developing severe writing block...I envy everyone who has written any nice post of late...coz I can't...so I shall just do another tag for now and give my mind some peace...

8 Things I am paasionate about:

Love

Money

Parents/ sibling

Friendship

My work

Life

Hobbies

Learning something new all the time

8 Things I wanna do before I die:

Open a lot of companies

Travel around the world

Have my own jet

Write a book or two

Start a scholarship programme

Learn as many dance forms as possible

Find love

8 Things I say often

Muahh

Khelbo naa

Paagol? na papad bhaaja??

Fuck!

Ki hobey?

present!

Heylo

Aaschi

8 Books I have read recently:

Atlas Shrugged

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (all five books...this when added up with all the others will be more than 8)

The Devil and Miss Prym

Lady Chatterley's Lover

Doordarshan Days

The Banana Tree Crisis

8 Songs I could Listen to over and over again:

Annie's Song

Yellow

Come Undone

Nothing Compares to You

Scarborough Fair

Tinka Tinka

Aaj hok naa rong phekaashey

Aamaar Bhetor o Bahirey

8 Things that attract me about my best friends:

I always have a good time with them

Intelligence

Similar tastes

Bitching sessions (Solo, I agree!)

Sense of humour

Trust

A feeling of being at home

No inhibitions

8 People who should do this tag:

Onnesha

Darkling

Coffee Stain

Reema

Mad Girl

Zii

July Child

Little Boxes

Tagged again!!!

2008-04-07T14:38:00.000+05:30

1. LAST MOVIE YOU SAW IN A THEATER:Race

2. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING?just got over with Atlas shrugged...will start with Isaac Asimov in a day or two.

3. FAVORITE BOARD GAME?scrabble, ludo, snakes and ladders

4. FAVORITE MAGAZINE? I read whatever I can lay my hands on...nothing favourite really...

5. FAVORITE SMELLS? good food, oranges of Assam, rain washed earth, cinnamon,

6. FAVORITE SOUND? good music, storms...silence...

7. WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD? Feeling like you can't win

8. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU WAKE? about whatever am supposed to do that particular day...

9. FAVORITE FAST FOOD PLACE? kolkatar rastaar roll walla

10. FUTURE CHILD'S NAME? ....

11. FINISH THIS STATEMENT. "IF I HAD A LOT OF MONEY I'D...?launch the magazine and do whatever else I wanna do. Cant think of everything right now

12.DO YOU DRIVE FAST?Cant drive.

13. DO YOU SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL?a teddy

14. STORMS-COOL OR SCARY?beautiful.

15. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR?had a few toy cars when I was younger...

16. FAVORITE DRINK?water, bloody mary

17. FINISH THIS STATEMENT, "IF I HAD THE TIME I WOULD .....travel all over the world

18. DO YOU EAT THE STEMS ON BROCCOLI?haven't tried it yet.

19. IF YOU COULD DYE YOUR HAIR ANY COLOR, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR CHOICE?colour doesnt work on my hair...but I would like red

20. NAME ALL THE DIFFERENT CITIES/TOWNS YOU HAVE LIVED IN.haflong, imphal, kolkata, mumbai.

21. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?cricket, gymnastics, football,racing.

22. ONE NICE THING ABOUT THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU.best friend:)

23. WHAT'S UNDER YOUR BED?suitcases, bags and a few shoes

24. WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE BORN AS YOURSELF AGAIN?i wouldn't mind being someone else...could do with a change in weather

25. MORNING PERSON, OR NIGHT OWL?both works fine with me.

26. OVER EASY, OR SUNNY SIDE UP?sunny side up.

27. FAVORITE PLACE TO RELAX?my bed, hills, in a car on a long drive

28. FAVORITE PIE?i don't like sweets

29. FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR?don't like it much either, but chocolate flavors work fine

30. OF ALL THE PEOPLE YOU TAGGED THIS TO, WHO'S MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND FIRST? jaani naa...

I tag onnesha, moolah, coffee stain, darkling, july child, mad girl

2008-03-25T16:37:00.000+05:30

A for Annie’s Song…my favourite love song.

B for Batman…hot!!! Hot is the word…I have harboured plans of marrying him for a long time.

C for chocolate…yummy!!!

D for denims…am almost always in them.

E for eeeww…find myself saying it too often.

F for fish…don’t get much of it here in Mumbai.

G for gelato…has one for the first time last Saturday…chocolate sorbet!!!

H for Haflong...my first home.

I for idiot…there are may of them around me

J for Johnnie Depp…need I say more?!

K for Kolkata…never mind the spelling…it’s still home!!!

L for lad khaoaa…I feel myself slipping into it all the time.

M for McDonalds…my saviour from skipping innumerable lunches.

N for New York…one facebook application says that’s where I ought to stay!

O for orkut…my point of contact with the world.

P for pomogrenate…another facebook application says I am this fruit!!!

Q for questions…my life is full of them.

R for Rolls Royce…I hope to own one someday.

S for scrabble…my favourite game.

T for tags…there is never a dearth of these

U for umbrella, an absolute must if you wanna survivr Mumbai monsoons.

V for Violet…that’s my facebook pet!!!

W for Writer’s Bloc…am plagued with it these days.

X for xylophone…I wanna see one; have only read about it in my nursey alphabets books.

Y for yo-yo…wanna play with one

Z for zephyr…I just like the word

I tag solo, zii, ady, mad girl, reema, oliver and little boxes

THE SUNSHINE GIRL

2008-03-07T21:13:00.001+05:30

The sun stays very close to her house,
say the men on the faraway beach
littered with plastic and human waste.
They have seen it peeping out
from behind her house on early mornings.
And in the evenings, it creeps back quietly
into the same silhouette of high rise concrete
painted against the sky

She is fortunate, they say,
the girl who lives with the sun.

She stares every evening,
out of the bay windows of her house.
The scarlet sun hides
itself somewhere far away.
She has heard the stories
they tell about her

She tried calling them at times.
To tell them that she is far from it too
as far as they are.

But the cityscape is blurred
nobody sees her calling out.
The voices drown her calls

The men carry on their walks
on the sandy beaches
envying the girl,
who lives with the sun.

AUTOBIOGRAPHY

2008-03-03T21:39:00.000+05:30

I have had good days too. I was her gift, from a secret admirer. I was a sparkling silver band, a little too big for her slender fingers. So, she slipped me on a black cord and around her neck. And there I stayed, for she never took me off. I could often feel her fingers slowly moving over me, in silent contemplation. She mostly kept her secrets to herself, but sometimes she confided in me. She didn’t care much about the secret admirer…she never quite realized why I was given to her. But she liked me nevertheless and kept me close to her at all times.

And then one evening, as the colours splashed across the city were slowly fading into darkness, she met him. He was a charming man…she fell for him before she even knew it. I could hear her heart racing as she sat across him, I had never seen her smile that way, or that brilliance in her eyes. She seemed a new person as she walked back home that evening, exhilarated at this new feeling, and at the same time, terrified that it was just an illusion.

But it wasn’t an illusion. Before the night was over, he called her. To say that she was special. He was leaving for a faraway city the next day. He wanted to meet her once before he left…

Like old lovers, they walked through the old city streets the next day, hand in hand. And I walked with them, watching, as he gently caresses her face, and she nestled into his arms like it was her only home.

And when they kissed the last time before he left, she took me off her neck and placed me around his, and said that she loved him. With me, she gave him a little piece of her, for him to remember her by. And he carefully put me close to his skin, and said good-bye.

I quite celebrated being the token of love. I was her reminder to him of their love…I felt extraordinary. Faraway from her, I could still hear the spring in her voice, the laughter in her eyes, and her happiness in her love.

But it didn’t last…no, it didn’t last. It was eh who broke it. I should have realized it when he took me off and kept me away. But I was too optimistic to care. He broke her heart…said it wasn’t love…it wouldn’t work out. He moved on, while she stayed on, sad, confused, yet hoping against hope that everything would be fine again. He didn’t know how she felt, but I did, because that little piece of her, which he never cared for, told me all about it.

I never found out why he did what he did. I don’t think she did either. I wish sometimes that I knew. I would have answered all her questions then. But he never told me.

I hate her sometimes, for giving me away, to someone so uncaring. But it melts away, when I think of the love with which she placed me close to his heart.

Once when they had met again, he told her he still had me. (That made her happier…and hopelessly optimistic again!) But I don’t think he remembers me anymore. I am stuffed away in an unknown...can’t say if he has forgotten my whereabouts or has he simply thrown me away. I can feel my erstwhile sheen giving way to an unkempt blackness. It feels severely claustrophobic here…

I can still feel her lonely tears sometimes, as she struggles to let go. She remembers me…wonders where I am, but is scared to ask the questions, for fear of what the answer will be. He has gone to some place, where I can’t see him anymore…And I lie, abandoned, rotting away, elegy to forgotten love.

(Scribbles in the midst of studying for semsters...)

2008-02-28T17:00:00.000+05:30

I hate studying like my life would end if I don't...
I hate going paranoid before every semesters...
I hate the fact that i don't have a bloody life beyond college and projects...
I hate the constant pressure of getting more marks...
I hate having to maintain the high marks once I get it...
And what I hate most of all is that I don't have a choice but to do everything I don't want to do...

(Fucked up a project today today, which means am going to lose quite a bit of marks. Wannna let go terribly, but all this makes me so bloody upset...semesters from wednesday...may not blog till they get over).

2008-02-26T14:57:00.000+05:30

This is a tag I randomly picked up from Dreamy's blog...

Life Ten years ago:
Was in Haflong, a small sleepy town in Assam. Spent most of my time, talking to myself, hanging around the huge garden in front of my house, volunteering as salesgirl in the neighbourhood store, talking incessantly in class on the few days that I ever attended. Also making frequent visits to Calcutta and Chennai, thanks to which I was hardly ever in school.

Life Five years ago.
Can't remember much of it...was famous for beating up the boys. Cut my hair short for the first time in my life. Had a few very good friends...believed that one should not take Valentine's Day gifts from someone who you are not interested in, because it was unethical. Turned away expesive boxes of cholcolates and pearl earrings, due to this belief.

Life Tomorrow.
Work on one of the many never ending projects. Study for semesters, which are in a week. Dream away to glory, and wonder if anything extraorinary might just happen.

Five locations I would love to run away to.
1. Calcutta
2. To my bed
3. To some mountain...any will do. They are all nice.
(Can't add anymore. There aren't too many places I can run away to.)

Five bad habits I have.
1. Contemplating everything way too much.
2. Randomly pinching people.
3. Frowning

Five things I will never wear.
1. Fishnet stockings
2. Ten rings on ten fingers.
3. Fur (faux or real)
4. Florescent colours.
5. Fake nails

Five biggest joys at this moment.
1. I will be home in a month. yippee :)
2. My projects for this semester will be over in two days.
3. The semester itself will be over in two weeks.
4. I have bought myself a hardbound gold-lined copy of the Hitchhiker's Guide. (I love sales)
5. Actually, am generally gleeful these days...

Something to achieve by next year.
A lot of things. I have to pass my final year dance exams and learn a enw form of dance. See Ajanta, Ellora, Lonavala, Khandala; so much to do...so lil time :(

Something that impacted me last year.
Can't seem to remember...

What will I miss about 2007.
Nothing really...just looking forward.

Five things I want to do before I die.
1. Get published.
2. Learn as many kinds of dances as possible.
3. Make atleast one good film.
4. Travel all over the world.
5. Find love.

I tag anyone who is as useless as I am right now!!!

NOISE

2008-02-18T21:54:00.000+05:30

She sits next to me, listening
to old blues plugged into her ears.
I, listen to the sounds the city makes,
the groan of the old bus that carries us,
the gossip left behind
on the green seats of the bus,
the ache in the old hawker's heels
as he hobbles down the road,
the silence of people walking down roads
together, yet unknown to each other,
the laughter of children as they play along
the streets of the city, their only home.
She sits next to me humming lyrics
that make her deaf to what I hear.
The city whispers and screams,
There are sounds nobody hears but me.

2008-02-14T21:06:00.000+05:30

On sapphire nights like these

I still feel your touch on my skin.

On busy evening streets,

I can see your invisible footsteps

as you walk beside me.

In sudden nooks and corners of the city,

I still see your reflection.

I see you in every face.

You live within me all day

and at night, haunt my dreams.

I carry you with me everyday

even as I make

futile plans to flee from it.

I hate you for all that was,

yet when you call,

I still come to you.

I craft elaborate plans

to leave you behind, every hour...

and yet, secretly fear

the day they will work...

I undo every plan I put into motion.

I run from all that is you..

yet you are all that I always come back to...

Happy Valentine's Day everyone...

2008-02-13T21:59:00.000+05:30

On sepia tinted nights like this, I sit and rest...The city continues its grind, like always...but I take my respite. It happens quite automatically at times, my mind just switches off. It is a very langurous feeling, weirdly peaceful...weird coz, I know that at back of my mind that there's still a lot to be done. It just ceases to affect me. The feeling is kinda scary at times, but the calmness is more overpowering. I can suddenly hear the nuances of the song on radio at such times, the tiniest clink clank around the hostel; I can suddenly live my life in the books am reading, I can suddenly hum my favorite songs. Failures don't hurt so much. The rat race doesn't count. And I can sleep without a care in the world...

Whiny post!!!

2008-02-03T21:13:00.000+05:30

Spending two long days, stuffed inside a dark room, with a laptop on my lap (obviously!!!) has not elft me in the best possible mood. To make it worse, I am still in front of the computer, coz I have 20,000 projects to do, which do not seem to be ending. The problem is the world has a problem with everything I do...my project mates say I am doing 80% of the work and leaving nothing for them (I should apparently learn to breathe); the next moment they tell me that whatever problem they have, they will call me...and then they complain that I shouldn't do so much work...People who were, unfortunately born a few generations ago. On one hand they complain that we are doing too many things at the same time...in the same breath they will also say that we have no enthusiasm for anything. Don't this people ever...ever listen to what they are saying...

Damn the world...

I think i will re do my blog layout...

2008-02-01T22:12:00.000+05:30

It's just slipping by...much faster than I can run. Threatening to overtake me any moment...slipping out of my fingers before I can even attempt to hold it firmly

One day in college

2008-01-11T20:40:00.000+05:30

A butterfly fluttered into the classroom the other day...hued in black and saffron, it was quite a sight. It fluttered about the entire classroom, sat on the walls and possibly stared back at us. We looked at it too, for a short while...and then we drifted back to our textbooks and the prof's dictations. And then we heard a buzz...the little thing, without realising, had flown straight into the running fan...and dropped straight to the ground. Maybe it got really, really hurt...it tried very hard to fly back again...it couldn't, had probably broken its wings...it just fluttered helplessly perhaps...and we watched mutely, cringing once in a while, but still just sitting on our seats. Finally I did walk up, took it into my palms and took it outside...wasn't too sure what I wanted to do, but the others certainly did. One brought out her camera to click the butterfly on my palm. There was a debate about what should be done...leave it on the ground...o no what if someone squashes it, put it on the ledge...it will eventually die anyway...

....and in the confusion somebody pushed real hard. And the butterfly fell down...right down two storeys. It kills people when they fall off great heights...maybe the little thing didn't survive either. Those upstairs seemed a little relieved...well, at least it was over. A few minutes later, everyone was back to their books.

...and I loved to run after butterflies once upon a time.

VISAGE

2008-01-09T18:38:00.000+05:30

What are faces?
a photograph that captures
the stillness in eyes,
Words on silent lips,
laughter born from cigars
and empty bottles,
the colour of love,
and also of illusion,
music from anonymous fingers,
the storm
behind what is tranquil
and things
that pretends to be
the foundation of mountains,
but are just cracks
behind a hollow mirror.

2008-01-04T21:06:00.000+05:30

Its four days into the new year...I spent the new year eve trying to get drunk without much success,contemplating about lousy poetry, translating excruciatingly difficult bangla texts to hindi, watchingan extremely silly television awards show, goin g broke on chicken sizzler and a'la kiev and struggling with a half dead internet connection at midnight. Two days later, am back to the grind, inthe mad city which never sleeps (no wonder all the people here look so sleep deprived).

I have hadthis sudden realisation that before each holiday I decide I will quit the accomodation I have nowand go out and look for something different...and after every one of them, I come back to the same place, living my life abiding by loud bells at ungodly hours.
I don't seem to remember the last time I made a new year resolution...I have grown up listening to people on TV tirelessly harp about how they never work...it seems to have convinced me rather well.

And I also can't understand why I can't marry Johnny Depp...or Hrithik Roshan for that matter.Why can't I have the guy I want?????(sniff, sniff)

I spent an afternoon in a bus listening to women abusing each other in the choicest of words...sisterf#$#$r...I didn't know women words such words for each other...for atleast around 15 minutes, therest of the bus stood listening...I think they were as intrigued as I was...the reason for that, by the way, was because one of the women sat down in the seat before the other one could get out of it.

And just having gone through whatever I have written, I can figure out the brilliant incoherence among all the paragraphs...BUT I do not feel like deleting them, so they will remain as they are...never mind...let me do a tag...I don't have anything better to do anyway.

1. What did you do in 2007 that you'd never done before? Went clubbing

2. Did you keep your new years resolutions, and will you make more for next?Nah

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? No

4. Did anyone close to you die? No

5. What date from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? No date was that important I guess

6. What was your biggest achievement of the year? There were things I did in college...nothing much more than that

7. What was your biggest failure? Love

8. Did you suffer illness? Usual attacks of migraine

9. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed? .There were quite a few people

10. Where did most of your money go? Lunch, transport and projects

11. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Holidays

12. What song will always remind you of 2007? Maa (Taare Zameen Par)

13. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder? Happier

14. What do you wish youd done more of? Dancing

15. What do you wish you'd done less of? Feeling sad

16. How will you be spending Christmas? Spent it copying songs into my brother's computer

17. Did you fall in love in 2007? No

18. How many one night stands? Keno bolbo!

19. What was your favourite TV programme? Hardly watched any TV shows

20. What was the best book you read? Lord of the Rings

21. What was your greatest musical discovery? Too many...I have around 150 MP3s at home

22. What did you want and get? Credit

23. What did you want and not get? Aah...so much

24. What was your favourite film of this year? Taare Zameen Par

25. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? Pandal hopped...am 21

26. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? A little more company

27. What kept you sane? Aint sane anyway

28. Who was the worst new person you met? Nobody was that nasty

29. Who was the best new person you met? Aamina

30. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007. There is always a way out of trouble if you try sincerely and hard enough

31. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
We didnt start the fire...

NIGHT

2007-12-19T21:51:00.000+05:30

1:34 am…the sounds of the city still reverberates in the night. In the sudden screech of a speeding bike…that interrupts your unfinished dream for the thousandth time. You try to clutch tightly to the parts you can remember…they are always forgotten, in the end…

There are hills somewhere far, far away…one hidden behind the other. Something hides behind them. He is walking ahead, through the wild yellow- green grass, leaving behind him the faint fragrance of mulled wine that clings to him wherever he goes. You struggle behind, trying to catch up…sometimes, he turns back and urges you to hurry.

The glowing doll gives out a fluorescent light in the darkness of the room. You screw your eyes tightly shut, hoping sleep will not escape like other nights, begging it to return…even as other thoughts quickly begin to swarm your head, willing you to listen to them.

This hill seems much higher than all the others…you still haven’t managed to catch up with him. You can see him reaching the peak…he goes over to the other side. The sun is slowly disappearing into the folds of the saffron sky. You wobble up painfully to the top and look…

Another bike screeches by the road…now the crows in the tree near the window start calling out. Others in the room sleep quietly, content in their dreamless slumber. It is only you, haunted by the echoes of the night, scared by the phantom shapes the darkness creates…driven to insomnia.

Vast stretches of sand and grass stares back at you…a sharp contrast to the hills left behind. But he is nowhere…the smell of the mulled wine has disappeared from the air. You can feel the night coming faster towards you…you call out his name, but there is no answer. You run forward looking for the quicksand that pulled him in, for the wild grass where he los this way, for a hidden hole or crevice…the cold darkness inches closer…and you are all alone…

In some unknown, silent hour, sleep mercifully comes back to take its place again…

Random musings

2007-12-15T18:13:00.000+05:30

Sometimes, life seems stuck like a watch with a conked off battery...time doesn't seem to move. And suddenly, it fast forwards and I don't seem to understand how much could I have missed. Maybe it has something to do with a general disillusionment and a void I keep feeling every once in a while. Studies then are not worth it, extracurriculars are not interesting...basically life is fairly unexciting on days like this.

I wish I could sleep till late every morning...get up at 10 maybe...I am surer it will never happen. I have a compulsive habit of getting up early. When its late, its 7.30 at the most. All this due to the fact that my mom made me get up everyday at 5 when I was a kid. If I sleep beyond 7 at home, she is likely to switch off the fan.

People are very quick to point fingers. They are hardly ever so eager when it comes to lending support or being nice.

There seems to be a general opinion that schools and colleges don't do much except make us literate and give us superficial theoretical knowledge...I have been hearing it from every industry professional who has lectured us in recent times.

I think I will become a bedouin eventually...

(Helloo everyone...these are five minutes of random thoughts that crossed my mind...I have beenm tagged with this task. All of you who comment are welcome to continue this tag. I have realized my brain works too much, too quickly and in different directions. It needs a holiday)

2007-12-08T21:34:00.000+05:30

Sree’s lover could never stop raving about her hair. Her cascade of jet black locks, which glimmered in the sunshine and mingled with the darkness of the long cool nights…she was used to people’s admiration and envy for her hair. But what he said felt different. She bathed in his compliments, let his words soak into her pores as he talked, burying his head among her locks. He loved her flying hair brushing across his face as they drove speedily through crowded traffic. He said she was beautiful…she felt beautiful inside when he said that. He loved the attention she attracted on the roads when they went out together, the agility with which she danced with him, her nature which flitted between docility and self- confidence, her vampire tooth, which showed itself when she laughed.

And Sree…what couldn’t she do for him? His warm brown eyes, his chocolate smile melted her insides every time she saw him. He made her feel brilliant; the kind that happens only when one is in love. She walked around with that heady feeling of being in seventh heaven all day long. Nobody had ever made her feel so special.

They had met many moons ago. In a coffee shop. Two people, unwilling to meet each other, but compelled by circumstances and a mutual friend. He sat talking about his favourite tune, she was reclining at the other end, the tune playing in faintly remembered notes inside her head. Minutes passed into hours, as the silence between them turned to passing remarks and smiles and finally into a long, languorous conversation, both reluctant to get up and go. His brown eyes seemed to be saying that he wanted her. And though she never replied, she wanted him too. Before the night was over they both knew.

Before the night was over, the two came together. Sree knew everything was going to be alright. The day they had met was a festival, a day of the gods and colours. She saw it as a good omen. Nothing would go wrong this time.

They often walked through crowded roads holding hands. They would sit in theatres with friends, secretly holding each others fingers. They would walk into food shops just to hear their favourite songs playing and never bother to order anything. They went to dimly lit coffee shops at midnight. And there were long hours of phone calls to make up for the times they didn’t meet.

But that was the story many moons old. Things were not the same anymore. They were completely different. There were no more phone calls. They had met twice in the last five months. He no longer loved her…she could feel it in her nerves. But when did he ever? He had never said so. She had taken it for granted. She, with her romantic notions…things did not work in reality like they did in her favourite books. There were no omens. And it was beginning to get harder to deal with the loss. The nights were losing their placidity, filling up with ugly nightmares. She woke up gasping for breath every night. She kept calling him every second night…the words differed, but the meaning was always the same. He couldn’t talk. She couldn’t play the mind games anymore…why did it have to happen? Why her? Memories locked within fringes of her hair, fresh tears welling up every night, the stifling feeling she carried everywhere…she could not keep that plastic smile on her face for much longer. Was that what love did to people? She kept asking only to hear the silent nothingness of the answer.

She remembered their last meeting. He had ordered coffees and a sandwich for her. They sat at two ends of the table awkwardly looking about, not meeting each others eyes in a way they had never done before, desperately searching for words to fill up the vacuum. She wanted to tell him to stay…only he didn’t want to listen. He left her suddenly even as she was waiting for the sandwich…to do more important work, he said. Left her, to stare at freakish saffron walls and disfigured cane chairs around her, an uncomfortable loneliness overwhelming her. She fled, leaving the sandwich untouched. She thought he would call her back…they had always come back together, every time.

She thought.

She remembered.

She wept.

She hated him.

She loved him.

The salon was playing a clichéd song of love as she took a seat. “I want a hair cut,” she told the attendant, “as short as you can make it.”

Snip, snip, snip. ‘Why would she ever want a hair cut’, thought the attendant. ‘What do I care…I am getting paid. Maybe I should trim it a little more around the forehead…give her a fringe.’

Snip

Snip

Snip.

OF DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES

2007-11-25T21:40:00.000+05:30

Memory hangs
on fragile silken threads
threatening to snap
into quiet oblivion
into the darkest corners
of your dreams.

Dreams. You often awake
out of them
on long, unforgiving nights,
of the sleepless city,
a fever rising up your nerves.

It’s not always a bad dream…

Just scenes of the times
left behind, as they collide
with shots of the life you live now.
Like a movie carelessly edited,
or some silly oxymoron in a bad poem.

And remind you often
of how life was better that way.

Much better that way.

Baarir Pujo

2007-11-19T16:38:00.000+05:30

We had a satyanarayan pujo at home just before I came back from Calcutta.

Though we usually have pujos at home, this was one of the few times that we

had a purohit called over to preside over the ceremony. My contribution to the pujo- soaking the rice for bhog, grating the coconut and taking still and video pictures of the pujo- to the extent that my mom thought I was going crazy like third generation NRIs who are watching something traditional for the first time in their lives. Nothing such really. It was just that I have a camera after a really long time.

This is the alpana ma made for the pujo. She is quite an expert at it, though she hates the mosaic floors that most calcutta homes have, coz she says that they dont complement the alpana too well. I agree. I remember how much lovelier they looked when they were painted on the black stone floors of our assam home. Nevertheless ma is quite an expert at the job. I have never seen any alpana at any house half as good as the ones she paints.

This is a picture of the pujo happening. The pujo was in dedicated to me, my

brother and my sister- in- law. It was quite a long affair....almost 3 and a half hours long. It started around 4: 30 pm. By the time it was over, it was almost 8. Quite a few rounds of tea went around during these few hours. The purohit had to eventually take a break too. He was pretty good at his job though it seemed. For one, he did not pronounce the Sanskrit chants as incoherently as some others often do.

This was basically an experiment to see how much could i zoom with my camera... these was a page from the book the purohit was reading out.

There was a jagya after the first round of pujo. The fan couldn't be switched on and the open windows could hardly manage to counter the amount of smoke that erupted from this ritual. I had burning eyes within 30 seconds. My brother ruined my hankerchief wiping his eyes. Besides wood, coal and ghee, another addition to the fire was a banana. Apparently, the ritual would be complete...rather the jagya would be satiated only when he banana split by itself. The last few minutes were spent in severe tension...would it split or wouldn't it? It did finally...according to the priest, the ceremony went rather finely...the fire burnt brilliantly.

We had quite a lot of prasad made for the pujo...shinni is ofcourse mandatory (and ma makes the most brilliant shinni in the world...and considering I dont particularly like shinni, I really mean it when I say that the shinni was good)...there were also fruits and khichuri with bhaja, phulkopi torkari, chutney and payesh. My brother's only priority in the entire pujo was the food...he embarrasses my mom too much by asking every few minutes when the prosad would be served.

Actually it was quite a lot of fun...we had quite a few family members and guests. Its not so much about the rituals or traditions really, but the fact that family members and friends can come togetheron such occasions and enjoy themselves.

2007-11-17T14:47:00.000+05:30

She could feel the tears stinging her eyes. The person in front was looking at her a little apprehensively...one more moment, a single drop would lay open all her secrets. Fast! She had to act fast, stop this from happening. She sudeenly made a weepy face and wiped a fake tear away from her face in a dramatic gesture. The other person relaxed immediately...she was quite the drama queen, never could mean anything seriously, could she? She began laughing too...it was not so difficult...covering up what really went on inside and what she showed the world.

2007-11-14T18:03:00.000+05:30

The reasons were certainly not a very good one...but it was worthwhile when people gathered in the protest against the govt. actions in Nandigram on Wednesday afternoon from College square. The world is not so immune after all...people do care.

Reality Bites

2007-11-03T15:10:00.000+05:30

There are too many dance based reality shows happening on TV...there are too many reality show happening in the first place. Not that, there is much point or reality in any of them. The couples in Nach Baliye 3 hardly look like couples. And Isha Koppikar instead of Malaika Arora...??And what does David Dhawan know about dancing?? Then there is Jhalak Dikhlaa Jaa...slightly better than NB3, but not too much...the drama continues in every episode and all the wrong people get merrily voted out. And Urmila is seriously super fake...hello woman, you acting skills are not the best in the world, can we be spared your histrionics in 'reality' shows at least?? And Jeetendra...why speak inEnglish when you can't get your grammar right??

But much worse than any of these is Jjhoom India...how is it actually supposed to be pronounced-Ja jhoom India?? Anyway, the concept couldn't get worse. Getting non- dancers to dance is still tolerable...but getting out of tune TV actors to sing?? Watch one episode of it and you are guaranteedto get a earache...no tune, no voice and they still must sing. Add to it horrendously talkative judgeslike Mahesh Bhatt and Shabana Azmi (as if they did not have enough topics to give their valuablecomments about already) and you have the most perfectly disgusting show ever. Kudos Sahara...no one can get worse (but maybe there is still hope!!!)

And the PR tie- ups are getting on my nerves. Dia Mirza promotes Dus Kahaaniyan on Star Voice ofIndia...what does she knows about singing...more than performances you get to see promos of thefilm being promoted and the stupid grins on the faces of the stars.

Then there are judges constantly cribbing, quarrelling and insulting each other, making scathing remarks, threatening to walk out...I have a feeling these guys have a special script prepared for them.

Besides, none of these are going to be won by those who are truly deserving...it hasn't happened inthree seasons of Indian Idol, there is not much chance that any of these will. The magic formula forwinning these contests...

Have no talent, or at least less than the others (The more talented you are, the quicker you will beeliminated)
Try and be as neyka as possible...cry, simper, create a mini drama in every episode.
Or else be rude, to the jusges, the audience or fellow participants (look at how well Mika is doing)
It helps to have a good smile.( It helped Abhijeet Sawant)
Sucking up to the guest judges also help (do a waltz with the girls, sing couplets in their praise etc)

I am just worried that they are going to start Big Boss again...

2007-10-07T21:28:00.000+05:30

Sometimes you may run as much as you can, convince yourself that it didn't happen, that it never even existed...but it still catches up with you...a bit of the memory you left behind thinking it would not follow you, that it would be easy to forget.

Studying for semesters can be quite a pain...especially when while poring over your notebook, you suddenly look outside the window, at the sky...and remember ma's stories when you were a child, that the sky was scarlet at this time of the year, as the goddess had spread out her sarees to be aired before she could come back home. Life can be lonely in a different city...

And then there are other thoughts too...sometimes you wonder if you wanted something that you got...but if you didn't you should have refused. But refusal can become so difficult at times, and you don't really know if you want it...perhaps you don't, but maybe you do, and you wont admit it...

Semesters are in four days...and I will be home after that...there won't probably be any more posts in the next few days...

HAPPY PUJO everyone!

May the goddess shower you with the choicest of blessings!!!

2007-09-25T09:49:00.000+05:30

Many, many years ago, this place was my home. When my primary occupations were hopping around the garden around my house...peeping into snake holes, getting stung by caterpillars, randomly waving at people, going to a nearby lake to catch fishes (i never managed to catch any, but who cared?), waking up at night to see the night queen bloom in the garden, and going to a nearby shops and helping the owner sell his wares. Who cared for the charms of the big city in those days...the cable TV, the refrigerator, night clubs, ice creams or fancy restaurants??

You could wake up to see the hills surrounding the town...the trees lining every street, nook and corner, the bird park, the huge school campuses, the circuit house from where you could see the trains passing through the hills (they often looked like a toy train set)...time often went a little slow in that town. You could watch the bud blossom into the rose, the sapling grow into a tree, the tree shed their leaves slowly as seasons changed...

yet nobody noticed when the people changed...it just happened one fine day...BOOM! and suddenly everything was different...sudenly it was 'unsafe' to be out in the evenings, doors could no longer be left unlocked, nothing was safe anymore, people needed unifomed men as protection, going to the circuit house to see the toy train was not allowed, the district library had been closed and that people were vey, very scared. The transition between that one day and my last day in that town is still a little blurred, even now, when I better understand the ways of the world.

The town is now left far behind. Maybe life is a lot better now than it could have been in that town. Its an old story and I can sometimes feel my memories of it dimming very fast...this was how it looked when I left it and its been a long time...who knows what it looks like now...the "white ants hillock"

2007-09-21T14:15:00.000+05:30

She usually enveloped herself with work...papers, phone calls, assignments, deadlines...and no time to think. But at nights, when all the lights went off, and she crawled under her cerulean blanket, she often found herself wishing she could hold his hands again...just one more time, like the first day...before he went away, and never really came back.

Except in her illusions, which she thought were real...till they crumbled into the dust...it took a long time though. By the end, she had already lived an entire life in the illusion. Maybe thats why it hurt so much...

It was alright...everything would be fine. The pain wouldn't stay forever. One day, it would all be gone...

FLEETING STORMS

2007-09-19T23:00:00.000+05:30

Colours of the hurricane
robe the infinite night sky
The rains cut through
the saffron smeared darkness.
Sweeping winds meet the storms
behind deep brown eyes.
A teardrop melts into the fragrance
of the rain washed earth.
The lightning casts its spell again.

2007-09-18T16:43:00.000+05:30

My fortune for the day says I and my wife will be happy together (whoa!)

BUZZ!!!

2007-09-12T08:30:00.000+05:30

I had been out of touch with the world for the entire last week. No newspapers, television, books. Nor the net. And a lot of things have happened in the last one week.

First there was Kaleidoscope- the annual college festival. To see the grandeur of college festivals, one should see those organised by Mumbai colleges...The t-shirt I wore during the fest was sponsored by Spykar. During the final days of the fest, the college was full of posters by sponsors- Sunsilk,Mahindra, Kingfisher, Appy, Nestle, Yuva (its a youth newspaper)...and I may be missing a few. The festival was covered by MTV exclusively (I haven't been able to catch a single shot of it though).Radio One, splat and minglebox.com partnered the event. And I got a free copy of Harry Potter andthe Deathly Hallows, thanks to one of the sponsors. Parikrama and Them Clones were specially brought to the city to perform for the fest.

I was a little disappointed with a few things though. Students in Mumbai and Calcutta have rather different tastes. So while quiz masters conduct shows to a full house in college fests in Calcutta, herequizzes are conducted in near empty halls. A senseless skit competition on the other hand, runs to a packed auditorium. And I have come across some brilliant statements during the fest. Here they go-

Adolf Hitler was one of the biggest communists in the world. (I thought he was one of the biggest reasons for the anhilation of communists in Germany)

Naom Chomsky is actually Naomi Campbell. (wwhhaatt?????)

70% of the world speaks English (why mention statistics when you can't quite figure it out?)and there were more...

Anyway, disappointments apart, it was a lot of fun. Made a lot of friends. And now that it is allover, and I don't have to stay up late at nights (or not sleep at all), not run around organising things,not feel frustrated and worried, I realise that being part of Kscope (as we lovingly call it) was worthit, despite all the tensions and problems.

And now am back to studies. And am praying that my semesters get preponed. Am among the rare ones to wish something of that sort, but well considering that a preponement will mean that I cango back home for Pujo and spend my birthday in Calcutta, instead of staying here alone in this city.

And I finally got the answer to my question. The answer hasn't been good. The truth is, its beendevastating. But maybe I was expecting it al along. Just hoping against hope that it wouldn't happen.And suddenly, its all over. BrOkeN pIecES LyiNg aLl aROunD. I have to start gathering all of it all over again. This time its going to be very hard to fix...it was perhaps a little too fragile...and I, a little too involved...and more hopeful...and the illusion much more beautiful, and more difficult to let go. Am outwardly very quiet about it though. Look at me and you will never know the secret.

I like it that way.