A Lovely Date with Myself at the Kolkata Literary Meet and Forum

It was one of the most beautiful mornings that I have had in recent times .. undoubtedly the best after the ones at Shankarda..

Sharmila Tagore's session with Jai Arjun Singh and Balaji Vittal on the Babumoshai of Bombay was about to begin at 11 am and I started early from home keeping the rush-hour traffic in mind. .. This made sure that I reached the entry point of the Kolkata Lit Meet sharp at 10-05 am. It was almost empty and the subtle warmth of the sun felt beautiful in the comfortably cold morning. The flowers looked lovely, especially one large pink rose beside the photo booth. I had a pleasant walk around the gardens and even started writing a poem after ages!

The two sessions that followed would remain etched in my mind forever. Got to know so-o-o much about Hrishikesh Mukherjee and his films in the first session, with my favorite Anupama narrating anecdotes candidly! What a poised personality she is with amazing oration skills! The second session, "Ritu Utsab" was another beautiful one that allowed the audience to know a lot about our dear director whom we lost so prematurely! It was indeed an honor and privilege to hear about him from the people closest to him, namely, Sharmila Ji, Kaustav Bakshi, Sangeeta Dutta, and Darshan Ji. In fact, the entire Kolkata Lit Meet is a privilege! One does not need to buy a ticket, or make reservations! There are no VIP seats! I, having reached so early, could sit in the first row (as I did on the 22nd as well) and listen to the discussion and see the gorgeous Sharmila Tagore from an arm's distance! It is a wonderful opportunity being provided by Tata Steel, allowing us to create these priceless memories and make news friends like Tripti Jalan, while meeting old ones like Utsav Dan, Sujoy Prosad Chatterjee, and Chhordi! You do not see Javed Akhtar Saab walking past you in a hurry too often tongue emoticon

I had plans of taking a break somewhere like Forum Courtyard and go back for the 3-10 pm session that had Srijato, Anupam, Chandril, and stay back till the last session of the day with Anuvab Pal. But, it was a pretty tiring walk and I felt like returning home after having a Subway sandwich at @Burp! It was a pleasant surprise to me that my visit to Forum and to Burp! and my walk around the Pizza Hut corner did not bother me with too many memories. I realized that this is how new experiences suppress old ones.

Beautiful Evening with Ma at Victorial Memorial #Kolkata Lit Meet - Jan 24

Reached Victoria Memorial with the intention of attending Tabu's session at the Son-et-Lumiere area followed by Anita Ratnam's performance "A Million Sitas" at the Western Quadrangle. Jayram Ramesh's session was midway at Sonet Lumiere and it was an engaging discussion which gave listeners ample food for thought that need to be positively used. The session ran late, thanks to long questions asked by a few members of the audience. Tabu's session which was supposed to begin at 6-20 pm, started around 6-45 pm. Tabu looked gorgeous, but I was turned off the moment she said that she has neither read the Namesake nor the Shakespeare adaptations where she played pivotal roles.. I do not know whether I am being judgmental, but that was the moment I decided that I should start walking with Ma towards the Western Quadrangle where Anita Ratnam's performance was about to start at 7-20pm. Anita Ratnam mesmerized the audience with the beautiful combination of classical and contemporary dance forms and amazing theatrics accompanied by a wonderful script and text. Sharanya's singing beautifully complemented her performance and I got to know a lot about many facets of Ramayana and Sita's life that I really did not know..

It was a chilly evening today. Kolkata does not usually get this cold, that too as late as the Jan 24th. Although, we got to sit under a makeshift ceiling at Sonet Lumiere ground, the audience's spot at the Western Quadrangle was directly under the moonlit sky. It was an atmosphere to enjoy, an ambiance to soak in. Biting yet pleasant cold on our bare palms and glistening sweat on the dancer's face was a striking contrast.

When the performance got over and I walked out of the Western Quadrangle with Ma, the yellow marigolds formed a yellowish blanket on the dark green grass and the trees formed surreal canopies. As we walked around the Victorial Memorial towards our point of exit, the Memorial changed colors due to the changing lights, casting beautiful shadows all around. My mother, who pursued dance once, loves to watch dancers perform. I am happy tonight as I feel that I could gift her a evening that she enjoyed and would cherish. It was a long walk for Ma from Victoria Memorial to Rabindra Sadan where we managed to get a cab, but it was worth it.

Anita Ratnam's recorded voice that played in the background during the depiction of the Ahalya episode echoes in my ears.. "Stone.. Stoned for a Man who is a Stone" .. Hats off to the scriptwriter!

Immensely thankful for this evening with Ma.

visit by Moutusi, Jojo, and Kakima

It was lovely meeting Moutusi Anulekha Ghosh Bhattacharya today, after ages! She is a girl of whom I have always been fond.. She has innumerable adorable qualities that make her a beautiful person in and out! It was great to meet little Jojo for the first time! What a cute dude he is! And, I can never thank Kakima enough for always paying us lovely surprise visits.. I am blessed to have her affections heart emoticon .. It was a special morning as Jojo held my finger and tip-toed upstairs with me

The Last But One Movie that Baba had taken us out to watch

The Last But One Movie that Baba had taken us out to watch.. The Last but one movie that he himself watched before getting unwell-- He Loved watching movies!

My FB post from Jan 23, 2014.. (it was a movie that we watched just after Sejomasi left)

"Khoda-r kasam jaan aami bhalobesechhi tomaay"...

Kudos to Srijit Mukherji for making this elaborate and beautiful saga titled "Jatishwar".. the concept, story and screenplay is amazing... acting by Prosenjit Chatterjee, Swastika Mukherjee, JISSHU SENGUPTA, Srijit Mukherji himself, and the entire cast is wonderful to say the least (specly the first two).. they have given their v best of their acting careers..... music by our Gaanwaala Suman is going to make him immortal.. it is a movie on the reincarnation of the entire music fraternity of Bengal..and of course a beautiful movie portraying undying love..In fact, words cannot describe this film..

jan 23, 2013

Rest in Peace, Mamididu. Havent met you in years.. but whenever I have met you, the warmth and humor in your words touched me which made memories of you always so wonderful.. We had our little mihidana episode which you never forgor, neither did I.. and whenever I met you or my parents did, you used to share that anecdote and laugh your heart out.. You were one of the most jovial persons I had ever met.. I do not know whether my pronami saree reached you .. We always had your blessings.. and you were happy whenever good things happened to us.. I will always remember the ever-smiling and ever-jovial Mamididu.. May your soul has a restful slumber..
~Piyali

Attending the Kolkata Literary Meet -- Jan 22, 2016

Enjoyed the sessions that I attended at the Kolkata Literary Meet today!Ratnaboli Ray-di, you are a wonderful anchor! The Kolkata-r Indradhnush session participated by Sujoy Prosad Chatterjee, Manabi Bandopadhyay, and Sudarshan Chakrabarty was an immensely enjoyable one! Loved meeting Anuradha Sen-didi!

The second session that I attended had my favorite poems Mandakranta Sen and Srijato Bandyopadhyay in conversation with Angshuman Kar. Every statement they made was almost worth making a quotation.

Although I have never felt interested about AMish's trilogies and had no intention of attending his session, I caught quite a major part of it and God! I was intrigued! SUch awe-inspiring depth of knowledge about our mythology along with a surprising passion for science! My biggest discovery today has been AMish whom I wish to read.

Last, but not the least, today's ultimate session was on Her Story of Partition again anchored by Ratnaboli-di. The Panelists were our very own Srijit Mukherji, Anam Zakaria from Pakistan, and Farah Ghaznavi from Bangladesh! Hard-hitting and spine-chilling facts as those which have been shown in Rajkahini came up in Anam's compilation that she has put together after interviewing survivors of the Partition including cricketer Intekhab Alam .. facts that stunned the audience and made everybody numb for a few moments..

I have never been much of an autograph-hunter.. despite getting opportunities, I have not taken autographs from Gulzar Saab. Nabanita Dev sen, Sachin Tendulkar, Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Soumitra Chattopadhyay, or Hariprasad Chaurasia.. However, today I could not resist myself and asked Mandakranta and Srijato for autographs and they sweetly obliged.. tongue emoticon

If I am not wrong, the Kolkata Literary Meet had started five years back and I always knew that it was an elite affair where common people like us could not enter. This was the first time, courtesy my friend SUjoy, I got to know that it was open to all.. and then on visiting, I realised that everyone from the audience could participate in the Q&A sessions as well..

A bad miss for me today was missing Imtiaz Ali and Aditya Vikram Sengupta, two directors I love, in conversation. ANother miss was an autograph from the maker of "Autograph" smile emoticon

It was a cold day today, and it became more and more chilly after the sun set. The stunning Victorial Memorial, the beautiful gardens, the august ambiance, ensured that it was a day that would be remembered. Well.. days spent at that place are always remembered, irrespective of how old the memories are .. :)

How can you be unsafe, sad, lonely, worried, and unloved when you have such friends around and with you!!

Yesterday, around the beginning of noon, I received a call from my dear friend Sanjucta Ghose asking me whether I was free to go out for a movie in the evening. As I said, "Yes", she told me that I need to reach Priya by 7-25 pm for a show of "Monchora". I knew nothing about the movie and blindly agreed. It was a cold evening and I needed something to stay warm. I opened my wardrobe and took out the stole that dear Paromita Banerjee has gifted me for my birthday! As I unfolded the stole, it turned out to be the most gorgeous stole I have ever seen! With rich Kashmiri work at both ends, the beautiful blue stole has motifs of peacocks that look amazing! I have a history of being gifted stoles by her and this is a wonderful addition to my cherished collection. I chose the denim sling back gifted to me by Jayeeta Dutta and felt enveloped and cocooned by the love of my friends, one asking me out for a movie, and the other two wrapped around me and hanging by my shoulder!

I reached Priya around 6-35 pm and walked around almost the whole of Deshapriya Park in search of a Mobile recharging outlet as I needed to recharge Mom's phone who was alone at home. Disappointed at not finding any such outlet, I returned to Priya where I found Nandini Bhaduri(a wonderful person to whom Sanjucta has introduced me a few weeks back) and Sanjucta Ghose waiting for me.. I learnt that the movie is based on a story written by Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay, one of my favorite authors, and is directed by Sandip Ray, whose non-Feluda movies I like a lot. I also learnt that we were being accompanied by Sanjucta's Mom and Nandini's Pisima for this movie date. Dear Sanjucta had called me to see whether my Mom would feel comfortable to go out for such movie evenings in the future. Her thoughts touched me to the core and I felt thankful for such friends.. Meanwhile, Nandini sweetly recharged my Mom's phone through some app from her iPhone and relieved my tension.

The movie was a lovely one. Short, compact, and beautifully made. The movie is packed with brilliant performances by Raima Sen, Abir Chatterjee, Saswata, June Malia, and Paran Bandopadhyay. The background score oozed the Ray essence and evoked nostalgia of our favorite Ray movies.

Later, I was dropped by Nandini near my house which happens to be near her Pisima's place. It was great to meet Masi (Sanjucta's Mom), after ages, who said I must gain some weight and Pisima who is a wonderfully sweet person. After I reached home, I even got a call from Sanjucta Ghose who was inquiring whether I reached safely. smile emoticon How can you be unsafe, sad, lonely, worried, and unloved when you have such friends around and with you!! heart emoticon Love you all!!

Kaaj nei, tai etto BaRo post

Poush Sankranti, to me, is about memories of a biting cold night in a faraway town, the temperature dipping to 1.2 degree Celsius

Poush Sankranti is about Prosperity, Blessings, Contentment, Abundance, Prayers, Togetherness, and Enthusiasm.. Poush Sankranti is about farmers who celebrate their yield and dedicate it to Maa Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity.. Poush Sankranti, to me, is about memories of a biting cold night in a faraway town, the temperature dipping to 1.2 degree Celsius, I extracting coconut paste for the first time in my life sitting on a cold prayer room floor, learning to make "Puli"-s, and everybody participating in the joyous process, I enjoying thoroughly despite a few bitter worries.. Poush Sankranti to me is about Lohri the night before, stories I have heard about the custom, visuals I have seen in films, and my first-ever memories of experiencing Lohri..Poush Sankranti, to me, is about a number of customs that I got to learn through life.. It is about the memories of my Thamma's transparent white PaTisapTa-s.. It is about the memories of plate-full of PiThe-s made for us lovingly by our neighbors.. It is about the Laal-Aalu-r Puli and Maalpoya that my Maa makes, which she made even last year during our most testing time.. Poush Sankranti is about memories of paddy stems tied to almirah handles..
I love these customs and I want to learn to make PiThe-Puli-s.. I wish these traditions are nurtured and kept alive for generations to come..

Wishing All A Prosperous, Healthy, and Happy Lohri, Poush Sankranti, Poush Paarbon, Makar Sankranti, Bhogali Bihu, Pongal, and Uttarayan !

Kaal aamar Jammodin chhilo, Baba

Thanks to All those who have been wishing me since the 8th through phone texts, FB texts, Google chats, phone calls, Timeline messages.. and of course to my Mom for being the only one to wish me in person.. and for the only B-day gift, that too from her and Suchir Aabhushan.. smile emoticon .. and thanks to myself for treating me with a Chinese dinner from Chopsticks via foodpanda as requested by my dear Maasi Sima Sengupta heart emoticon.. I could not eat much as I was feeling a bit bloated.. So, I have food stacked up in the refrigerator.. for today and tomorrow I guess smile emoticon

It was my first B-day without Baba around.. I was constantly stung by painful memories, particularly those of 2013 and 2014 when I had tried to block away all his simple attempts to celebrate my birthday.. I was unwilling to cut cakes, accept gifts, and was even annoyed at the sight of birthday cakes that he had bought.. I kept telling him "Sorry" throughout the day yesterday.. I remember feeling repentant around my oblivious Baba last year also, but nothing can be compared to this year's guilt and pain, this year's void.. My only faith is that he understood how I felt, my only belief is that he knew my inner complexes..

Since the day Baba has left this mortal word, I have been flooded and overwhelmed with love.. All my blocked away friends have returned to my life.. and I have experienced and received love with open arms, I have felt blessed.. I have realized what Baba had done to me when he went away.. he had blessed me to receive love.. maybe that has been his birthday gift to me this year.. he knew what I needed, what I missed.. He knew .. always..

Both last year, and this year, I have missed hearing him say "Aaj ekjon-er Jammodin" heart emoticon .. Kaal aamar Jammodin chhilo, Baba <3 p="">

January 4, 2014

Going Back to School always feels like Going Back to Where I Belong.. Maybe that is the only place in this wide big world where I have ever actually belonged..Visiting each and every classroom of mine and Koyel's (except VII) as Annexe was closed, visiting my favorite place - the library which I still feel is the best one a school can have, the smell of the black-leather-bound golden-lettered books from where I first read Nancy Drew to Pride and Prejudice, the laboratories and the pungent smell of the Chemistry lab, meeting Kinkar-da at Bio-lab, visiting the seminar hall with memories of Mr I Guha's English Poem classes and dance practices of Class X) , all the stairs and corridors that have so many unforgettable memories and moments.. meeting favorite teachers like Anindita Aunty, Dipti Aunty, Romi Aunty, Sharmila Dey Sarkar, Sharmila Dutta Bose, Anuradha Aunty, Roma AUnty, Sukanya Burman .. meeting mates like Indraajit Roy (maybe after 21 years), Ritwik Ganguly(after 19 years), Krishnakoli Ray (after 10 yrs, met her last in 2004 during school's 50-yr celebrations), Rukma Basu (after 19 years, I dont think I v ever met her though we live nearby), and the celebrated Sujoy Prosad Chatterjee .. missed @Koyel,Sweta Bose, Jayeeta Dutta, and Paromita Banerjee badly..

Love you, South Point.. love the memories...

January 3, 2014

Had the privilege of attending the warm and beautiful memorial on the 3rd Death Anniversary of Smt Suchitra Mitra..arranged by her daughter Firaangi DesiSudeshna-di at her own cozy place..conducted by the veterans and prominent singers of Rabitirtha pRaktoni.. wonderful memories shared by people who had been the legendary singer's disciples since 1950-s and 1960-s!! @Agnibho Bandyopadhyay, Subeer Mitra (ABP), and Subrata Mukherkee were so eloquent and articulate in their narrations.. Songs were wonderful bearing the emphatic Suchitra Mitra lineage.. I dont know whether I would ever again get to hear Purba Dam on stage, age does take its toll..Memories shared by the veterans were oozing with emotions..the songs sung in reverse by Subrata are never to be forgotten.. Loved the young-age picture of my most favorite Rabindrasangeet singer Suchitra Mitra..She can go nowhere.. She, in her indomitable voice, has always urged me "Jodi tor Daak shune keu naa aase tabe eklaa chalo re.."

Meeting Ritu after 4 Years and 1.5 Months

A day spent with a 2.5-year-old and a 1.3 year-old.. I am a Masi to the first one and a Didimasi (Grand-aunt) to the latter.. It was my first meeting with my Naati Rio .. and a meeting after more than 4 long years with my dear NieceShahana Sen.. The last goodbye that we had waved each other was on a cold night at a small town, I standing on a hotel foyer and she waving me goodbye from the car that carried my family and relatives.. a lot has transpired since then, our lives changing in more ways than one.. a lot of previously close relationships have changed too.. hopefully, not the bond that Shahana and I shared.. I am sure Baba is very happy today from wherever He is, seeing his dear Naatini-Putini visit our place for the first time after her marriage, with her tiny son..