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.