This picture shows Sharodiya and Rishika. Sharodiya is Khukupisi's daughter. I used to cling to Khukupisi whenever we used to meet. Since my toddler days, Khukupisi has been my absolute favorite who fed me, put me to sleep, did my hair, dressed me up and told me stories. I had the privilege of being her shadow during her wedding when I spent three fun-filled days at Tala BaRi. I was there with her every moment, trying to help and assist in every way I could. I particularly remember waiting for her outside the common toilet with her clothes, so that she does not lose precious time. I have last seen Sharodiya in January 2006 when she attended my brother's wedding with her parents. She studies in my school South Point in Class IV. It was very nice meeting and speaking to her. She appeared to be a very obedient, well-behaved and sweet child who won my heart instantly. 

This kid is my youngest brother (cousin) present in this world! He is 11 months old and lives in UK. His name is Rishav aka KuTus. He is Khokon's son. Khokon has been my childhood playmate and teenage friend. According to the family tree, Khokon is my uncle (my dad's uncle's son) and is younger to me by 6 months. Academically, he was brilliant and was junior to me by an year. When he did excellently well in his Class X board exams from his comparatively unknown Bengali-medium school, he got the opportunity to do his Plus 2 from the well-known institution named South Point High School where me and my brother had studied since our infancy. Presently, Khokon is located in UK and has two kids, the elder one being 3 yrs old. I met Khokon on October 26, 2011 at Tala BaRi on the occasion of Kali Puja, after what seemed ages. We could not exactly remember our previous meeting and vaguely guessed that it might have had taken place 9 years back in 2002 on the occasion of Sharodiya's (Khokon's elder sister Khuku's daughter's) "annoprashon". It was difficult to believe! But, it was true! People who used to meet at least once every year since birth were meeting after almost a decade. I had not attended Khokon's wedding which took place in Kolkata itself. So, according to the world, it is I who should be blamed. But, I cannot blame myself, as only I know the reasons why I avoided gatherings taking place in that very conservative joint family. 

Meeting Khokon's wife Rupa, who appeared to be a very warm and cheerful person, for the first time, felt great! She came forward herself and introduced herself to me which I particularly liked. Khokon was unable to believe that I was meeting his spouse for the first time! Their elder child Rishika (a daughter) appeared unfriendly (unlike both her parents). But, Rishav was an absolute joy. He refused to take his eyes off me.. it seemed he knew me since ages!! The best moment was when we blushed and almost covered his face as I kissed him on his right cheek. I am still unable to believe that even after reaching my 34th year, I have a brother who is merely 11 months old! Such are the  strange joys of a huge family!!

 

 

What Gautam Buddha Taught...

Let tolerance and openness be our mantras as the country celebrates Buddha Purnima ~


My unwell and frail mother is breaking her disciplined routine of the past few months on the occasion of Buddha Purnima today. It is the full moon day that marks Gautam Buddha's birth anniversary and to ritualistic people like my mother, this is one of the most auspicious full moons. People will perform Satyanarayan Pujas at their homes and workplaces. Many will throng the temples from the early morning. They will have food only after offering the pujas. 

Religious fanatics like my mother search for excuses. They love to fast and follow rituals. And they do this blindly. I wonder how many of them have read about Buddha's philosophies or have tried to adapt their lives to Buddha's teachings! Comprehending Gautam Buddha's philosophies and teachings releases one from all fanaticisms. Buddha takes us to newer heights of enlightenment where rites, rituals and blindnesses have no place whatsoever. I wish all those who are fasting and offering pujas eagerly with flowers and sweets today read and practice at least one teaching of Buddha throughout this day of his birth. I wish we could adopt Gautam Buddha's tolerance and compassion in our lives more fervently than how we are offering pujas today. 

A New Dawn - A New Era

The dawn of May 14, 2011 brought a new era in the state of West Bengal. This morning is the first morning in my 34-year-old life when my state West Bengal is not ruled by the Left Front. The Assembly Election Results declared yesterday (May 13, 2011) did not surprise many. Everybody was expecting a TMC+Congress win over the Left Front. But did any of us foresee such a WHITEWASH? Did the Left foresee such a pathetic DOWNFALL? They could only manage to win a mere 62 seats whereas TMC+Cong spearheaded by Ms Mamata Banerjee bagged as many as 227 seats!! People of places like Bardhaman and JangalMahal, believed to be strong Left loyalists, have voted for TMC+Cong thereby producing results that have surprised and shocked one and all.


The most shocked must have been the Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya. I do not think he was shocked at his loss. Had he not been anticipating a loss, he would not have restricted all his campaigns inside his own electorate Jadavpur. My friend's in-laws living in Baghajatin (inside Jadavpur) had hinted that the CM is foreseeing a hard combat with the retired IAS Manish Gupta. But did the CM think in his worst nightmares that he would lose to Gupta by a HUGE margin of more than 16000 votes? He has virtually been thrown out!! He did not even wait for the counting to get over. He hurried to visit the Governor and submitted his resignation around 1-10 pm on the 13th. 


Most of the "heavyweight" ministers of the state have encountered similar kinds of losses. Aseem Dashgupta, Nirupam Sen, Ashok Bhattacharya, Kanti Ganguly, Anadi Sahu and last but not the least Gautam Deb who had been the most atrocious in his attitude over the past few months. He lost by a vast margin to Bratyo Basu of whom he had "never heard of" before the nominations. The arrogance has got boomeranged back to Deb's face. Apolitical contestants with no political baggage have walked over political heavyweights. One can easily comprehend that the votes were not cast in favour of Debashree Roy, or Bratyo Basu or Manish Gupta. The votes were cast in favor of Ms Mamata Banerjee. And thanks to the vigilant attitude of the Election Commission votes COULD BE cast in the 2011 West Bengal Assembly Elections. A joyous vegetable vendor at the Gariahat Market told my Dad last evening: This was the first vote in decades that we, especially our women, could cast fearlessly. This was the first vote when women did not get persistent threats like "Do you want to put on your red sarees or do you want to put on only white ones after becoming widows?". This was how elections were won and the Left RULE was retained for decades. My father says, of the last 7 Left Front Governments, only the first 2 were democratically chosen ones. The next five were rigged vigorously. Voters were stopped from reaching the polling booths and multiple votes were cast by party loyalists. People who have been suppressed and threatened like this vented out their anger and protest in the first vote that they were allowed to cast fearlessly. 


The Star Ananda Exit Poll conducted in collaboration with AC-Nielson could not have been more accurate! They predicted 225 TMC+Cong seats which turned out to be 227 in reality whereas the prediction of 60 seats for the Left Front turned out to be 62. It was the only exit poll which showed the CM losing against Manish Gupta. Even optimistic TMC loyalists found this hard to believe. But this happened and the CM experienced a landslide defeat. The only prediction that the exit poll went wrong in was Gautam Deb winning over Bratyo. Or did Star Ananda change the prediction mischievously to inflate Gautam Deb's ego and arrogance before pricking the cruel needle on the balloon? 

Rabindranath Tagore - A Flowing River

"Swardho-Janmoshatobarsho" ~ That is what is being celebrated today. Not only today, it is being celebrated throughout the past year and it will be celebrated all through the present one too. Pnochishe Boishakh or the 25th day of the Bengali month of Baishakh was the day on which Rabindranath Tagore, the God of emotions, was born. Yes, I call him the "God of Emotions", as to me emotions and Tagore are inseparable. The 25th day of Boishakh generally coincides with 9th, 10th or sometimes 8th May.

This year, i.e. in 2011, Tagore's Birthday is today - May 9, Monday. As I mentioned before, tributes, homages and celebrations are going on since the last year. Rituparno Ghosh plans to release his movie "NoukaDubi" based on an intriguing novel (having the same name) written by Tagore. He is also making "Chitrangada" and we are waiting eagerly for the celluloid adaptation of this well-known Tagore dance-drama. Raja Sen made "Laboratory", a movie on a Tagore story, last year. It was released a few months back.
Sometime around July-August 2010, the Bengali entertainment television channel Star Jalsa had started a fresh and appealing tele-serial titled "Gaaner Oparey" which became extremely popular, especially among the younger viewers. Well, that is what it was all about. The serial addressed the never-ending question of whether the younger generation      

A painting by the versatile genius.

"dekha hoy nai chokkhu meliya,
Ghor hote shudhu dui pa feliya
EkTi dhaan-er sheesh'er upor ekTi shishir bindu."

today find Rabindranath appealing. Tagore, as flowing and contemporary as life, has been comprehended with newer connotations by the youth of today and now with the withdrawal of the "copyright" limitations, experiments and ventures are in full throttle.

Young singers like Aniruddha Sasha Ghosal, who have moved from Toronto to Kolkata to learn and sing Rabindrasangeet, have revamped how Rabindrasangeet singers and stage-shows looked till a few years back. I happened to be present in one of his shows last year at the GD Birla Sabhaghar and was enthralled by the interactive quality of his singing. He is fresh, open-minded and can drive the audience crazy with his expressive voice-modulations and body language. Another young singer who surprised me pleasantly is Shaan. Yes, I am talking about the renowned Hindi playback singer who despite being a Bengali admittedly lacks exposure to Bengali music especially Rabindranath's songs. His first Rabindrasangeet album "Khola Hawa" was released in 2010 and his songs touched every listener's heart. How passionately he has sung them with all the right emotions at the right places!! The songs like "tomar Khola Hawa", "Praan Chaay Chokkhu Na chaay" and "Praano Bhoriye trisha Horiye" have become consistent chart-toppers in all the FM radio channels since the album's release in mid-2010. 

2011 - The Year that Levels and Evens?

2011 is turning out to be a good year for people who have been sincere and earnest for long. ~ E.G. , Barrack Obama (eliminating Osama after a decade of continuous chase), Sachin Tendulkar (lifting the CWC 2011 on his 6th WC appearance), Mahendra Singh Dhoni (winning CWC 2011 within 4 yrs of becoming the captain).. .. .. .. the list goes on where I can very well add a few of my friends too .. and last but not the least Sourav Ganguly getting to play IPL 4 in his protege Yuvraj's team :)


Let me add the name that has proved again that 2011 is THE year for the sincere and earnest - Mamata Banerjee (i.e. the TMC +Cong alliance headed by her) emerges victorious in the 2011 Assembly Elections by winning a total of 227 seats! :) She has prevented the formation of the 8th Left front Government and has sworn in as the new Chief Minister of West Bengal. The day she walked in to the Writers' Building as the new CM, we were all reminded of the day when she was beaten and dragged out of there by the police at the orders of the then CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharya.

It was time to pay back - heartwarming!

Found this on Facebook:

World Cup 2011

Sachin Tendulkar walked out of the changing room and gestured to Sudhir Gautam to come up. Gautam is the thin man with the shaven head - for the past few weeks adorned with a replica of the World Cup - and body covered in the Indian tri-colour. For at least half a decade now, Gautam has been Tendulkar's biggest fan, waving the Indian flag and blowing his conch shell at every venue Tendulkar plays. Today, Tendulkar decided to repay Gautam for his devotion.

No sooner had he realised that Tendulkar was calling, than Gautam jumped the electronic advertising hoarding and skipped up the 30-odd stairs on to the corridor of the Indian changing room. All through his short journey he screamed in delight. Tendulkar shook hands with him, then embraced him and finally asked one of his team-mates to get the World Cup trophy.

Zaheer Khan brought the cup outside with utmost care and held it tight. Gautam almost snatched it out of his hands but Zaheer held on. Eventually Zaheer let go and

Gautam lifted the Cup with both hands, screaming "India". Tendulkar could not help but smile; he started clapping and was joined by a few of his team-mates.

The sweat on Tendulkar's face glistened under the floodlights, enhancing his joy of winning the World Cup .

By: Surya Nanda

Celebration in my own little way...

The whole thing has not sunk in yet. As a result, I am not able to express all my feelings and thoughts on India ending up to be the World Cup 2011 winner.

Here is a humble compilation of the Facebook updates that I have posted since the VICTORY:

Tears in my eyes.. the moment i saw Sachin's overjoyed face.


Dhoni, We hv no words for you. ♥


I still cant believe this!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ♥ to Team India, Dhoni, Sachin and every cricket loving Indian :)


A captain who was criticized throughout the World Cup, shone like a diamond in the Final, scored the final runs with a HUGE SIX -- I love the scriptwriter :)


The Captain of the World Cup winning team = the Man of the Match in the World Cup Final ♥


It is heartwarming to hear every member of the Indian Team mention Sachin's name - A Tribute that Sachin deserved.


Gautam Gambir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh- Every Indian Cricket-lover salutes you for the highest successful run-chase in a World Cup Final.

A Victory Lap that we wont ever forget!!!

overjoyed...

Sachin--Oh Sachin..

duniya muTThi mein :)

Awesome pasta for lunch at Marco Polo to celebrate India's World Cup victory :D :) ♥ thanks to my dad!!

‎"Pehle HARAAYA Goron ko, fir Haramkhoron ko aur ab Sita ke choron ko....jai ho!" ;)

‎"Anhonee ko honee karr de.. honee ko anhonee.. ek jagah jab jama ho tinon.. Rajni, Gajni aur Dhoni" :D

I was alive when India won CWC 2011 :)

Yuvi to the Press : ""Really sorry to disappoint you all - it's not my girlfriend - it's for Sachin Tendulkar. I wanted to win the cup for him.""

WE, The WORLD CHAMPIONS ~

India Wins Cricket World Cup 2011

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    Photo Courtesy: Yahoo!
    

    
    
    

It was payback time indeed.

India Wins the Cricket World Cup 2011!! Still Cant believe it!!

Dhoni hit the 6 and froze for two seconds. India has been winning matches and tournaments over the past couple of years. As I realised Dhoni had scored the winning runs I clapped and cheered - somewhat out of a habit now. I was yet to realise what exactly had happened. Suddenly, the camera showed the players' enclosure and froze on Sachin's face. Relief, joy, pride, ecstasy writ large on my favorite cricketer's face hammered into me the magnitude of the match that has just been won. It was the World Cup Final!! India has beaten Sri Lanka in the Final and won the WORLD CUP!!! My eyes brimmed to my surprise. Having never ever experienced "tears of joy" in my life, I understood for the first time what the phrase means.
The camera showed Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh venting out their emotions and weeping openly. Yuvraj was uncontrollable. I could feel their emotions merging into mine. I realised that a REAL World Cup win cannot be compared with anything. It was the most emotional cricket moment that I have ever experienced.

Sachin ran out of the enclosure with a glowing face and embraced teammates. He unlocked MSD from a teammate's hug and held him in the tightest possible embrace. Yuvraj hid his face on Sachin's shoulder and wept like a child. Later, Gautam Gambhir, Zaheer Khan, Virat Kohli, Harbhajan and the others made no efforts of hiding the name of the special person for whom they have tried and achieved what they did.

How Time Flies!!!

Some superhuman batting by VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid and some magical spin-bowling by Harbhajan Singh brought that historic test  win over Australia from an impossible situation on March 15, 2001. Today, i.e. on March 15 2011, our cricket-loving nation celebrates the 10th anniversary of the "epic win" that had put a stop  to Australia's invincible run of 16 consecutive test wins and shown the world that Australia CAN be beaten. The nation salutes the gritty Captain Sourav Ganguly who led the team to victory with his never-say-die attitude!
I cant believe its 10 years already!! Time does fly!! The Telegraph today reminisces that great win with articles, interviews and pictures where Sourav, Laxman and Dravid look all so young and  different. I loved that old Team India that had more soul and commitment in it.

"What seems like the right thing to do could also be the hardest thing you have ever done in your life."

“Then indecision brings its own delays, And days are lost lamenting o'er lost days. Are you in earnest? Seize this very minute; What you can do, or dream you can, begin it; Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Going through dilemmas, confusions, mind changes, hundreds of second thoughts and what not!! This, probably, is the most undecided state of mind I have ever found myself in! I am scared- but to add to the confusion I can feel an enjoyment and thrill too- i dont know why! And, oh yes, I am having frequent nights with utterly disturbed or no sleep  at all :(

just another love story

It is chilly again today!! The winds have returned from the North!! And I am blogging after quite some time.

Last Friday I went to "Priya" to watch "AarekTi premer galpo" (Just Another Love Story) - controversies have run high over this "daring" movie and the movie has not been released in Nandan in order to protect the "sanctity" of the venue!

One is left to wonder how could "AarekTi Premer Galpo" have ruined the so-called sanctity of this venue when movies like "Bibar", "Shunyo e Buk-e" and "Antar baas" did not! How long are "we" going to shut our eyes and deny to see anything and everything that is "different" from what we have always been taught to perceive as "normal", "standard" and "correct"?

How can "love" (between whomever it may be and in whatever form it may be) not be sacred ever? Does love lose its sanctity if it is between an effeminate male and a traditionally manly guy?
Why cannot we simply accept the fact that there are more than two sexes in this world who have their own orientations and preferences? How long are we going to shut our eyes and deny the existence of the other  sexes? If a man and a woman can get recognition and respect for what they are, why cannot the other groups receive the same acceptance?

We forget that we are what we are because of our endocrinological systems! If you believe in God, it is He who has made us the way we are! What makes us think that we have the right to hold our chins up for our sexual orientations while some others should be belittled and laughed at for what they are? What makes us think that they should be ashamed of themselves and hide their natural manners and instincts? What makes us think that they cannot or do not have the right to love?

My mother went to watch the movie with me and I had my apprehensions! Knowing her, she might have had totally hated what the movie told and showed! But I was pleasantly surprised when I found her touched by the film! For the next few days I found her thinking and talking about Rituparno, and Chapal Bhaduri, and Churni! She was very impressed by Rituparno's acting - well, everybody has acted brilliantly and Rituparno was absolutely wonderful!!

"Samukhe Shaanti Paaraabar.."

I have been listening to her voice since the day I was brought home after my birth... have grown up listening to her voice day in and day out... celebrating the rains and filling up the summer evenings..worshiping love and longing...  I used to associate her so much with the song "Krishnakoli aami taarei boli" that for the first few innocent years of my life I thought she herself was "Krishnakoli"!

Songs like "Jodi tor Daak shune keu naa aase..", "Marono re tuhu mamo shyam soman..", "Kkhato jato kkhoti jato..", "Aami Chitrangada", " aachhe dukkho, aachhe mrityu", "Krishnakoli aami taarei boli..", "Nahoy tomar jaa hoyechhe taai holo..", ''aamar Sonaar Baangla.." have become her own because of her unparalleled rendition.

I have spent my childhood amidst the huge number of LP-s that my dad had lovingly collected back then - my mornings, noons and bedtimes were filled with the songs that he kept on playing on his record player-the songs were mostly Rabindrasangeet sang by Suchitra Mitra, Konika Bandyopadhyay, Debabrata Biswas, Hemanta Mukhopadhyay and many other celebrated artistes. The image of this smart-looking spectacled lady with a boyish haircut was very familiar to me thanks to the innumerable LP-covers that I was used to seeing as I was learning to walk and talk.

As I grew up, I knew this lady would appear on the television screen (Kolkata Doordarshan) whenever somebody important passed away- she would sit with a harmonium and sing "aachhe dukkho, aachhe mrityu" again and again-- I did not know that it was a recording and it was played whenever somebody passed away - I particularly remember occasions like Uttam Kumar's demise and Indira Gandhi's passing away. 

Summer months saw us visit Rabindra Sadan to attend various Rabindrasangeet and NrityanaTyo programs- Even when we lived in Dhakuria and Baba did not have a car, Baba did not shirk from taking two troublesome kids along with Ma all the way to Rabindra Sadan to attend these programs.

I remember one such evening- The program was graced by two legends among others - Hemanta Mukhopadhyay and Suchitra Mitra. Ms Mitra had sung and Hemanta Babu came to the stage. He looked frail and sick. As he started to sing it was clear that he was not well as he was losing breath and his magical voice sounded very strained. Some of the audience started talking - almost a protest started stating that they have not paid money to listen to such a performance. We saw Suchitra Mitra climbing the steps to the podium and stand beside Hemantababu- She hugged him and was in tears - then she looked at the audience and appealed in a stern voice to leave the auditorium - the murmurs stopped in an instant. Such was the personality and character of this lady who had seen many ups and downs in life. She believed in Tagore's philosophy, " Bhalo Mando Jahai Aasuk.. Satyere Lao Sahoje".. 

The no-nonsense, no-excess human being has left for her heavenly abode on January 3, 2011- she was having her lunch while the momentary cardiac failure took place - her death was just as she herself was - short, simple, crisp, pertinent.