Have you ever felt the chill of December on a sultry September night? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have your consciousness escape the boundaries of the physical world and stare down at you? When questions like Which is Which and Who is Who and Who are You appear as the biggest puzzles in life. Have you ever tried to experience music not just as a collection of notes and beats, but as a moving canvas where new landscapes keep on changing form with every rise and fall of the meter? Has the feeling that the best lines the poet inside you could ever produce is here and now, that were you to be handed a paper and pen, you could say the words that you have always wanted to, occurred to you? It sure did to me. When? On a sultry September night.
It all started with the five of us- A,G,N,D and myself getting together for a night of peaceful hallucination after having done rather dissapointedly in our respective midsem exams. Not that it was any justifiable pretext. But sometimes you have to tell yourself, “ Shit man, I need something to get over this.”
The groundwork to instill the sense of surreality to our experience was done by A,N and myself. After giving the “chumma” to the “Amma” and gorging on the Biryani and Chap from the Taj, it was time to get the sleeping beauty D up from the only rest he was having in the last 48 hours. It’s not an easy task you see. When D hits the bed, one can be pretty sure that the Sun would have set and risen again before he gets up. Cometh the moment, cometh the man. Reptile slayer N was handed the responsibility. And what a neat job he made of it. Didn’t relent kicking at D’s door until it was about to come apart. Bravo N, we love you for the nutcase that you are.
Now the scene shifts to the sanctum sanctorum of our holy worship, G’s room( pun intended). D had worked his magic with the scissors and matchstick and we were all set to ascend up the magical stairway to heaven. Lights off, music and the smell of teen spirit flooded the room, casting a halo all around. And from then onwards, it was a time travel to an alternate world where anyone could have been anything from a joker to a jockey, from a poet to a painter. Cloaked under the spell of sheer otherworldliness, we ceased to be A,N,G,D and S. It was as if we were the entire Universe and yet at the next moment we all seemed to have disintegrated into the smallest quarks. The beauty was in being able to completely dissolve our joys, sorrows, egos and superegos- our entire being into a stream unshackled by the invisible barriers that stifle us in the real world.
But none of that would have been possible without Floyd’s intoxicating sound imagery for company. I don’t call it just music because every song of theirs that day seemed to awake from the clothing of solos and harmonies we usually see it in ,painting before me a picture, real and vivid, thousands of them with each passing moment. Every chord that they played was striking a very different chord in my mind. Images hidden somewhere in the deep recesses of my psyche were turning up in front of me like visions from a past life. Echoes CD 2 got accorded Hall Of Fame Status in our music libraries. All the songs were so seamlessly blending from one into the other that we had to pinch ourselves to confirm that this was actually happening. As A so aptly remarked, “ David Gilmour seems to have dedicated his life to intoxicating me .” I couldn’t agree more.
Meanwhile G suddenly realized that he had another exam to appear for in half a day’s time. So he started going through his notes under his rather modest mobile phone light. That didn’t stop him though from mimicking the vibrations that the music was producing in his body and mind. The name of the paper he was to appear for – Vibration of Floating Structures. How weird is that? The rest of us were just too full of what all was going on around us in an altogether different world. We hardly cared! The only thing that interspersed the periods of silence was someone speaking up, “ Kuch f**** lag raha hain be. OMG!”. But G wouldn’t let us sit still for too long what with his mindblowing histrionics at play causing A to almost choke with laughter. I only wish I could remember even half of what he uttered in those unforgettable moments. But then, I was hallucinating, you see.
It was a night to remember, by far the best engagement that I have had with G(g) ever. Everything fell into place so wonderfully well to create an atmosphere of limitless surrealism when we were indeed being shone upon by the crazy diamond. Cheers to life and A,N,D &G. And even as I write this …….
Pools of sorrow,waves of joy
are drifting thorough my open mind
Possessing and caressing me
Jai guru deva om.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Mon Amar
So I am supposed to be happy today. Maybe I am. Even being the stoic that I know myself to be, it’s just too obvious a fact to ignore that something inside is killing me every moment. I cannot put my finger on it now, as they say. Truth be told- I don’t want to.
I wish I could just close my eyes, take a deep breath and it would be gone. The exercise of lulling oneself into rebuffing something that’s increasingly becoming fairly “staring you in the face” is draining me of the spontaneity that I would have liked to see in myself. The voices in my head are growing louder and louder telling me to just forget all about it and stop hoping helplessly. I remember the last time I happened to use this term in a post, things started changing. That’s precisely the problem -they changed very fast. And now that they are changing again, slowly and painfully, I am sad, really sad. I don’t know how long this cycle of hoping and feeling lonely and let down will carry on. I feel tired. If only I could have said it all sans this symbolism, I think I would have felt better. But that’s who I am. I just cannot say harsh things to people. And so will I act as if nothing happened. And just let it die.
I wish I could just close my eyes, take a deep breath and it would be gone. The exercise of lulling oneself into rebuffing something that’s increasingly becoming fairly “staring you in the face” is draining me of the spontaneity that I would have liked to see in myself. The voices in my head are growing louder and louder telling me to just forget all about it and stop hoping helplessly. I remember the last time I happened to use this term in a post, things started changing. That’s precisely the problem -they changed very fast. And now that they are changing again, slowly and painfully, I am sad, really sad. I don’t know how long this cycle of hoping and feeling lonely and let down will carry on. I feel tired. If only I could have said it all sans this symbolism, I think I would have felt better. But that’s who I am. I just cannot say harsh things to people. And so will I act as if nothing happened. And just let it die.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Human Nature
How often does it happen that sheer excitement and curiosity leads you to do something that is utterly stupid and downright disgusting? You know that it will make you feel bad, hog your mind and take complete control of every single thought and yet you hopelessly choose to walk down that road to nowhere. I wish I had the sensibility to restrain and refrain. Just tell myself, “ Calm down. Take it easy.”
I remember once telling someone , “ But, I don’t wanna know”. Guess I was being blissfully ignorant of my frailties as a normal twenty one year old treading into uncharted territory with a bagful of fears and insecurities. And when they start popping their scary faces with alarming frequency , I am completely defenseless. Wouldn’t it be great if one could just spit them out of one’s system and never have them come back to haunt you ? But no, one can’t, and that’s what makes me sad.
Only the full moon makes life a little easier tonight.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Ramblings
4…3…2…1… the countdown has begun. It’s packing time, folks. And there’s a lot of it to be done. Chocolates, garments,shampoos, perfumes, vanity bags, slippers,cameras,watches, mobiles,books,bookmarks scattered all around the apartment. Time to collect all the memories- the joys and heartaches, fleeting images of fullmoon nights and shady afternoons. It would be unfair to say that time has flown by whilst my stay in Singapore. Rather it has limped, (hop-skip-jump)-ed, gurgled, paused, stammered, reversed – all in varying tempos and sequences. It was some experience, that’s the best adjective I can gather right now.
This, most certainly, being my last post from Singapore, I find it obligatory to mention the customary updates( especially now that I have come to know some people actually do read what I scribble). Jumbo prawns ,Mango custard, Kati roll( yes it is available at Clarke quay), Corona, Pig’s Loin- all these take care of the gastronomic quarters. A bulging tummy bears ample testimony to the gourmet delight this entire trip has been. Club Colaba, Songs of the Sea, Ramakarishna Mission,Bugis Street, Orchard Towers- bracketed perhaps in the most absurd combination ever stand as memorable visits. What else then, other than shopping and more shopping? Actually, not much. Watches, Jeans,Raisins and Almonds, Jackets, Gucci Perfumes and a Surprise Gift for someone who hasn’t been surprised in a long time. I am now a confirmed shopaholic, period. The best part is I feel no guilt or remorse about literally throwing away big bucks, just like that. And why should, I? It’s MY Money after all. Probably not the fruit of hours of sweat and toil. But then everyone deserves these mini lotteries thrown at them atleast once in life. And when you’re twenty-one , concepts like savings and compound interest don’t hold much value to you- even if you happen to be a budding investment banker interning at an investment bank. Picking up stuff you like randomly one after the other as soon as you come across them, is the ultimate ego pumping exercise one can undertake. And when it is meant for people who mean something to you, in one way or another, and you kind of visualize the expression on their faces when you say “Eta tomar jonno”, it all seems worth it! There surely are somethings money can’t buy. For everything else there’s money.
To talk about things money can’t buy. Money can’t buy you that blushing face when your manager tells you,” Excellent. Very Impressive. So, what have you thought about joining us?” . Money can’t buy a nightout on Read Bridge spent with friends discussing fears and insecurities, wondering whether it will all work out in the end or just for all apart like a pack of cards. Money can’t buy you that dreamy melody of the waters lashing onto the pebbled beach in the shadow of the palm trees with a friend asking a seemingly stupid but thought- provoking question, “ Abe, yeh leheren thak nahi jaati patthar se takrate takrate?”. Money can’t buy that butterfly feeling you get talking to someone on the phone every single time. Money can’t buy you “ Carolina, on my mind” and “Rhymes and Reasons”. James Taylor, u rock even as you soothe.
And so it has been. Final Year beckons , Insti top beckons, Imaginary meetings with real people beckon, Mandarmani Beckons, SSM-ing beckons, Life beckons….. Fly away ….. by SQ 517.
This, most certainly, being my last post from Singapore, I find it obligatory to mention the customary updates( especially now that I have come to know some people actually do read what I scribble). Jumbo prawns ,Mango custard, Kati roll( yes it is available at Clarke quay), Corona, Pig’s Loin- all these take care of the gastronomic quarters. A bulging tummy bears ample testimony to the gourmet delight this entire trip has been. Club Colaba, Songs of the Sea, Ramakarishna Mission,Bugis Street, Orchard Towers- bracketed perhaps in the most absurd combination ever stand as memorable visits. What else then, other than shopping and more shopping? Actually, not much. Watches, Jeans,Raisins and Almonds, Jackets, Gucci Perfumes and a Surprise Gift for someone who hasn’t been surprised in a long time. I am now a confirmed shopaholic, period. The best part is I feel no guilt or remorse about literally throwing away big bucks, just like that. And why should, I? It’s MY Money after all. Probably not the fruit of hours of sweat and toil. But then everyone deserves these mini lotteries thrown at them atleast once in life. And when you’re twenty-one , concepts like savings and compound interest don’t hold much value to you- even if you happen to be a budding investment banker interning at an investment bank. Picking up stuff you like randomly one after the other as soon as you come across them, is the ultimate ego pumping exercise one can undertake. And when it is meant for people who mean something to you, in one way or another, and you kind of visualize the expression on their faces when you say “Eta tomar jonno”, it all seems worth it! There surely are somethings money can’t buy. For everything else there’s money.
To talk about things money can’t buy. Money can’t buy you that blushing face when your manager tells you,” Excellent. Very Impressive. So, what have you thought about joining us?” . Money can’t buy a nightout on Read Bridge spent with friends discussing fears and insecurities, wondering whether it will all work out in the end or just for all apart like a pack of cards. Money can’t buy you that dreamy melody of the waters lashing onto the pebbled beach in the shadow of the palm trees with a friend asking a seemingly stupid but thought- provoking question, “ Abe, yeh leheren thak nahi jaati patthar se takrate takrate?”. Money can’t buy that butterfly feeling you get talking to someone on the phone every single time. Money can’t buy you “ Carolina, on my mind” and “Rhymes and Reasons”. James Taylor, u rock even as you soothe.
And so it has been. Final Year beckons , Insti top beckons, Imaginary meetings with real people beckon, Mandarmani Beckons, SSM-ing beckons, Life beckons….. Fly away ….. by SQ 517.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Country roads take me home
Yay! I have only nineteen days left to go to be back in my Swades. This isn’t some NASA scientist a.k.a Mohan Bhargav talking about his homecoming to his native village but an impressionable young adult yearning to be back in the midst of family, friends, Bhaski and Cheddis after seven weeks in Singapore. Isn’t it just a four hour plane journey out of Kolkata? Yes, I know in many ways one can say that Singapore is India’s best metropolis with a decent dose of fair-skinned people thrown in. But I miss my country and all the heat, sweat, grime and traffic jams that come with it. I just can’t wait to be back in KGP bunking classes and staying up till three in the morning for the last plate of fried maggi at JCB, for the chai at Tikkas, for the endless bhaat sessions over the most absurd topics one can think of.
Singapore has been lovely though especially the last weekend. I guess it’s just one of those things that you tend to get used to. So, no matter how cozy your apartment maybe, how swanky the shopping malls, how organized the traffic- it isn’t what makes you feel at home.
Updates on my new purchases- Ipod shuffle that I can’t seem to get enough of, Canon Powershot SX210 IS digital camera that even makes my smile look natural and an electric shaver for Baba. That’s it! I am done with my gadget shopping. Having spent nearly a quarter of my salary on them, I put my hands up! But boy, does it not feel great to own these masterpieces of technology !
The last weekend was perhaps the most action packed one. Hadn’t planned it to be thus. So it seems even more thrilling that it turned out that way. Two close friends for company and my first night out in phoren land. A few lines were crossed. “Lal dupatta udh gaya re mere hawa ke jhonke se”- this jingle got immortalized in our music library for reasons having no far-fetched relations with music or melody. I traveled to the southern most point of continental Asia, watched the sunset against a picturesque blue ocean and trailed a thousand footsteps on the white sand.
And just when one thought that beauty couldn’t get more intoxicating, the full moon reminded me of a night spent under the spell of honesty and innocence when I was let into a world, familiar yet mystical at once.
It’s time to wrap up things. The shampoos, body soaps, nail polishes & chocolates are about to be piled up for people back home. I have a presentation to give for the completion of my last objective. Just hope that passes well. Had this wonderful director meeting with Harriet Guest, more like talking with a friend actually. Have never felt so good about myself after all the praise she heaped on my communication skills. I hope she meant it because I’m gonna need a lot of that in the days to come, in more ways than one.
Singapore has been lovely though especially the last weekend. I guess it’s just one of those things that you tend to get used to. So, no matter how cozy your apartment maybe, how swanky the shopping malls, how organized the traffic- it isn’t what makes you feel at home.
Updates on my new purchases- Ipod shuffle that I can’t seem to get enough of, Canon Powershot SX210 IS digital camera that even makes my smile look natural and an electric shaver for Baba. That’s it! I am done with my gadget shopping. Having spent nearly a quarter of my salary on them, I put my hands up! But boy, does it not feel great to own these masterpieces of technology !
The last weekend was perhaps the most action packed one. Hadn’t planned it to be thus. So it seems even more thrilling that it turned out that way. Two close friends for company and my first night out in phoren land. A few lines were crossed. “Lal dupatta udh gaya re mere hawa ke jhonke se”- this jingle got immortalized in our music library for reasons having no far-fetched relations with music or melody. I traveled to the southern most point of continental Asia, watched the sunset against a picturesque blue ocean and trailed a thousand footsteps on the white sand.
And just when one thought that beauty couldn’t get more intoxicating, the full moon reminded me of a night spent under the spell of honesty and innocence when I was let into a world, familiar yet mystical at once.
It’s time to wrap up things. The shampoos, body soaps, nail polishes & chocolates are about to be piled up for people back home. I have a presentation to give for the completion of my last objective. Just hope that passes well. Had this wonderful director meeting with Harriet Guest, more like talking with a friend actually. Have never felt so good about myself after all the praise she heaped on my communication skills. I hope she meant it because I’m gonna need a lot of that in the days to come, in more ways than one.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Life is peace !
Had intended to write a much more elaborate post but so intoxicated I am with the charm of Anindo Chatterjee’s table beats drumming in my mind that I just don’t wanna wake up. A wonderful evening passed me by with the most awesome Japanese food I have tasted till now and Soha Ali Khan thrown in for some delectable dessert. Yes folks! She looks gorgeous in real life, a whole lot better than she does on the silver screen. We were just too shocked to ask for an autograph or a photo. Damn it!
And before I hit the bed on a day when a friend a few thousand miles away reminded me again and again how right it is to care and another who just seems to move away with each passing day, I donno what to say. I wish I could say , “ Why does it have to be this way ?”. But I’ll just fade away!
And before I hit the bed on a day when a friend a few thousand miles away reminded me again and again how right it is to care and another who just seems to move away with each passing day, I donno what to say. I wish I could say , “ Why does it have to be this way ?”. But I’ll just fade away!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Just like that
Yes, it’s been a long time since my last post. A lot of water has flown under the bridge since then,literally. Nadal has been crowned the king of clay yet again, football frenzy has gripped the world and Singapore has witnessed floods. On the personal front as well, there’s been so much to talk about .I have welcomed a smartphone, a MP3 player and a brand new laptop into my family. Seriously, even for a non-gadget freak like me just the awareness that you own these cool gizmos gives an instant thrill unmatched by the joy of actually using them.
Where have I been all this while? Well except for the weekend gateway to Bintan, it’s been office-home-gym-bed-office-home-gym-bed…..,the normal routine that I have come to follow in the last one month. Somehow, I can’t seem to recollect what exactly has kept me busy in the last few days. Paying regular visits to the gym in the aspiration of having John Abraham-esque abs has been a welcome distraction. Working out really makes you feel good about yourself and the momentary pain and tiredness is what I have kind of come to look forward to at the end of the day. For one, it guarantees that you are dead the moment you hit the bed and you wake up feeling rejuvenated the next morning. New developments on the emotional front have left me feeling miserable and distraught at one moment, carefree and peaceful at the very next. The roller-coaster ride just does not seem to end. I consciously see myself going through this cycle of liking-attachment-expectation-heartbreak-hopelessness-numbness-realisation-selftalk-normalcy, again and again. I don’t know whether one can call it a quality but it never takes me long to come to terms with….you know what I mean. Maybe it’s because I seldom get attached to someone as intimately in reality as I think I do in my mind.
Bintan acted as the perfect mood enhancer though. To be in the midst of serenity is a humbling feeling really. Picture postcard settings start popping in front of your eyes every moment. Especially this one seaside restaurant we went to for lunch, the turquoise colour of the endless sea all around coupled with a cloudy sky created an unforgettable image that is captured in my mind for posterity. Standing on this wooden passageway that juts out further into the waters alone with just the wind and rain for company reminded me of this scene in the movie Namesake where Gogol and his father walk together on a trail of boulders into the sea and Ashok(the father) tells Gogol that here they are together, just the two of them and that he’ll always be there for Gogol whenever he needs him. I was alone and yet I felt so comforted, so gratified in the solitude just thanking the stars for being kind enough to have brought me here. Almost as if the Gods had destined it to be thus when all of us were getting a little iffy about the weather getting worse thus robbing us of the chance to try out the water sports, the clouds parted and Bintan was bathed in sunlight once again. Time to try out some thrills and spills. Over the next three hours, I went through the most freakishly frightening yet immensely thrilling time of my life . Thrown out of the banana boat, gliding on the waters in a jet ski at top speed and going amateur snorkeling under the blue sea- what more can one ask for! We called it a day after a round of beach volleyball and sipping some chilled coconut water at the beach restaurant. Tired as hell, I hit the bed early. Not even the mouthwatering prospect of tasting Chivas Regal for the first time in my life could keep me up.
But we weren’t done with Bintan yet. How could we without some traditional Balinese massage to cool down( or maybe spice up) things a little? And man, was it relaxing or what! Yes, the masseuse was female. Yes, we had nothing but briefs on. Yes, there was music and dim lights. But that’s about it. An hour of unadulterated pleasure passed me by in a flash and before one knew, I was done with my first visit to a professional massage parlour. Phew!
Another week is almost done and dusted. We are off to Malaysia tomorrow. Time to throw caution to the wind and try out some real stuff, stuff that I’ve been told is very easily accessible out there. Meanwhile on the work front, which I hardly ever talk about even though I’m officially on an internship, my midterm appraisal went well. Got a B which is decent. The highlight though was this meeting that I had with the Asia head of my division and he seemed really impressed talking to me. To top it all, he even talked about it to my manager just before we were to go for the midterm appraisal! The Gods do smile on you sometimes. It was one of those occasions and I couldn’t help feeling, “ Maybe I am not as hopeless as I make myself out to be”. One really needs these moments of self belief you see, when circumstances conspire to elevate your mood and you learn to start appreciating yourself for what you are, not for someone else you would like to be. Leaving with that thought, I’ll say “Truly Asia”- Here I come!
PS: Made a video on my new touchphone on the beach at Bintan , the All-Souls-Bared kind. Dunno whether I ‘ll ever bring myself to showing it to the Subject, though.
Where have I been all this while? Well except for the weekend gateway to Bintan, it’s been office-home-gym-bed-office-home-gym-bed…..,the normal routine that I have come to follow in the last one month. Somehow, I can’t seem to recollect what exactly has kept me busy in the last few days. Paying regular visits to the gym in the aspiration of having John Abraham-esque abs has been a welcome distraction. Working out really makes you feel good about yourself and the momentary pain and tiredness is what I have kind of come to look forward to at the end of the day. For one, it guarantees that you are dead the moment you hit the bed and you wake up feeling rejuvenated the next morning. New developments on the emotional front have left me feeling miserable and distraught at one moment, carefree and peaceful at the very next. The roller-coaster ride just does not seem to end. I consciously see myself going through this cycle of liking-attachment-expectation-heartbreak-hopelessness-numbness-realisation-selftalk-normalcy, again and again. I don’t know whether one can call it a quality but it never takes me long to come to terms with….you know what I mean. Maybe it’s because I seldom get attached to someone as intimately in reality as I think I do in my mind.
Bintan acted as the perfect mood enhancer though. To be in the midst of serenity is a humbling feeling really. Picture postcard settings start popping in front of your eyes every moment. Especially this one seaside restaurant we went to for lunch, the turquoise colour of the endless sea all around coupled with a cloudy sky created an unforgettable image that is captured in my mind for posterity. Standing on this wooden passageway that juts out further into the waters alone with just the wind and rain for company reminded me of this scene in the movie Namesake where Gogol and his father walk together on a trail of boulders into the sea and Ashok(the father) tells Gogol that here they are together, just the two of them and that he’ll always be there for Gogol whenever he needs him. I was alone and yet I felt so comforted, so gratified in the solitude just thanking the stars for being kind enough to have brought me here. Almost as if the Gods had destined it to be thus when all of us were getting a little iffy about the weather getting worse thus robbing us of the chance to try out the water sports, the clouds parted and Bintan was bathed in sunlight once again. Time to try out some thrills and spills. Over the next three hours, I went through the most freakishly frightening yet immensely thrilling time of my life . Thrown out of the banana boat, gliding on the waters in a jet ski at top speed and going amateur snorkeling under the blue sea- what more can one ask for! We called it a day after a round of beach volleyball and sipping some chilled coconut water at the beach restaurant. Tired as hell, I hit the bed early. Not even the mouthwatering prospect of tasting Chivas Regal for the first time in my life could keep me up.
But we weren’t done with Bintan yet. How could we without some traditional Balinese massage to cool down( or maybe spice up) things a little? And man, was it relaxing or what! Yes, the masseuse was female. Yes, we had nothing but briefs on. Yes, there was music and dim lights. But that’s about it. An hour of unadulterated pleasure passed me by in a flash and before one knew, I was done with my first visit to a professional massage parlour. Phew!
Another week is almost done and dusted. We are off to Malaysia tomorrow. Time to throw caution to the wind and try out some real stuff, stuff that I’ve been told is very easily accessible out there. Meanwhile on the work front, which I hardly ever talk about even though I’m officially on an internship, my midterm appraisal went well. Got a B which is decent. The highlight though was this meeting that I had with the Asia head of my division and he seemed really impressed talking to me. To top it all, he even talked about it to my manager just before we were to go for the midterm appraisal! The Gods do smile on you sometimes. It was one of those occasions and I couldn’t help feeling, “ Maybe I am not as hopeless as I make myself out to be”. One really needs these moments of self belief you see, when circumstances conspire to elevate your mood and you learn to start appreciating yourself for what you are, not for someone else you would like to be. Leaving with that thought, I’ll say “Truly Asia”- Here I come!
PS: Made a video on my new touchphone on the beach at Bintan , the All-Souls-Bared kind. Dunno whether I ‘ll ever bring myself to showing it to the Subject, though.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Why I have come to believe in stars?
I am in a quandary again. A zillion thoughts race through my mind which I would like to see penned down in words the moment I see them in my head. It’s like wishing there was a genie inside your brain who would instantly interpret the random images that flash by and capture their essence in words just the way you want it to.
It’s been happening to me quite often of late. I experience these euphorically hysterical moments of sheer amazement where my mind roams free of all earthly concerns, wrongdoings and right-doings into a field where I see things around me exactly as I want them to be. Probably, this is a side effect of reading and re-reading Rumi and Khalil Gibran and Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam over and over again in the last few days. It leaves you with quite a different kind of hangover in which to dream is the only way to live, to ‘love and lose’ is not something to cry over but smile at. If ever one had any doubt whether a poet can encapsulate the entire universe of human emotions in a single book or a single verse, Khalil Gibran and Rubaiyat have been complete eye openers . I am not capable enough to even talk about their writing but all I’d say about how I felt after reading them is this-“ He is like a man looking with a candle for the sun”-Rumi. I was looking for relief and I found revelation (in more ways than one).
It’s been happening to me quite often of late. I experience these euphorically hysterical moments of sheer amazement where my mind roams free of all earthly concerns, wrongdoings and right-doings into a field where I see things around me exactly as I want them to be. Probably, this is a side effect of reading and re-reading Rumi and Khalil Gibran and Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam over and over again in the last few days. It leaves you with quite a different kind of hangover in which to dream is the only way to live, to ‘love and lose’ is not something to cry over but smile at. If ever one had any doubt whether a poet can encapsulate the entire universe of human emotions in a single book or a single verse, Khalil Gibran and Rubaiyat have been complete eye openers . I am not capable enough to even talk about their writing but all I’d say about how I felt after reading them is this-“ He is like a man looking with a candle for the sun”-Rumi. I was looking for relief and I found revelation (in more ways than one).
Friday, June 4, 2010
Praptoboyoshkoder jonno
A blank page has often managed to send my thoughts into a whirlpool. I have never been a person who has a very clear idea about what exactly is it that I want to write before I start writing. The titles of my blogposts bear ample testimony to that. I write when I feel that writing will make me feel good about myself and the people who make up my world. It is my own way of taking stock of where I am headed in life and acknowledging the simple yet precious gifts that I have had for company along this journey.
Unfortunate incidents in the family in the past week have made me reflect on the unpredictability of human nature and how things which one shrugs off by saying, “ These will never happen among our kith and kin”, do take place because somebody somewhere really really messed it up, and not just for oneself, but others too. How can somebody go so far down the road of deceit and self-ruin, I find the question staring me in the face. Somebody one is meant to have regard and affection for, somebody you remember having spent joyful moments with, however fleeting they may be. I guess as one grows up, our sense of right and wrong, possible and impossible, believable and unbelievable undergo a natural transition. But there are some things in life you just wish never fell into that possibility map. They are so damn disgusting! Strangely, when it did happen, beyond the initial feeling of shock and dismay, what dawned on me was the acknowledgement of how lucky I have been to have had the loving care of Ma, Baba & Didi all my life. People who ensured that I had a normal childhood where Sundays meant washing our new car and playing cricket with Baba. One might say, ”What’s so great about it?”. Well, I used to think the same way too until I saw how terribly fractured one’s childhood can become for no fault of one’s own. This is not a place to say thanks to Ma & Baba, why even saying “thanks” would be belittling their unadulterated love and affection and all the sacrifices they have made in bringing me and Didi up as normal kids who had normal joys & sorrows.
I have never had a large, extended family, the kind where mashis & meshos & pishis & mamas & their kids gather at Pujo at the ancestral house at say, Uttarpara, for four days of unbridled fun and festivities. My world has mostly revolved around my parents and my sister and Thamma & Dadu as they used to stay with us . Dadubhai is no more. Thamma, even at this age, has lost none of her silken touch at making payesh and khichuri, things she can keep on feeding you till you say ,”Na, aar paarchi na!”. In a sense, I have missed having relatives one can spend quality time with, cousins one can play chor-police and shaap-shiri with. But as time passes by and I see how fragile these relationships are becoming day by day, how relatives more often than not instead of lending you a helping hand, a comforting hug in times of trouble are only looking for ways and means to deceive you ,take unfair advantage of you and compete with you, I wonder whether I have been unlucky at all, not having these people around. I know I am generalizing way too much here. There are many families where the brothers and sisters have absolutely wonderful ties that bind them. But I guess as one matures in life with age, the inconvenient truth that one wakes upto is this. No matter how many close friends and relatives one may be surrounded by, the only ones you can trust blindfolded are your parents and siblings( some would say there’s a question even on that). But Didi , I love you like crazy and I just can’t imagine in my wildest dreams, relations souring between us ever. So I’ll stick to that. I call it the core group, people who love you for what you are and will never harm you. And even if they are upset with you , know that it’s for your own good.
I can write pages and pages on what having Ma, Baba & Didi in my life means to me. To be honest, they are my life. And I don’t know why but with each passing day, I only seem to see them in a new light where a new facet to their awesomeness gets revealed to me. Maybe I am growing up, finally!
Unfortunate incidents in the family in the past week have made me reflect on the unpredictability of human nature and how things which one shrugs off by saying, “ These will never happen among our kith and kin”, do take place because somebody somewhere really really messed it up, and not just for oneself, but others too. How can somebody go so far down the road of deceit and self-ruin, I find the question staring me in the face. Somebody one is meant to have regard and affection for, somebody you remember having spent joyful moments with, however fleeting they may be. I guess as one grows up, our sense of right and wrong, possible and impossible, believable and unbelievable undergo a natural transition. But there are some things in life you just wish never fell into that possibility map. They are so damn disgusting! Strangely, when it did happen, beyond the initial feeling of shock and dismay, what dawned on me was the acknowledgement of how lucky I have been to have had the loving care of Ma, Baba & Didi all my life. People who ensured that I had a normal childhood where Sundays meant washing our new car and playing cricket with Baba. One might say, ”What’s so great about it?”. Well, I used to think the same way too until I saw how terribly fractured one’s childhood can become for no fault of one’s own. This is not a place to say thanks to Ma & Baba, why even saying “thanks” would be belittling their unadulterated love and affection and all the sacrifices they have made in bringing me and Didi up as normal kids who had normal joys & sorrows.
I have never had a large, extended family, the kind where mashis & meshos & pishis & mamas & their kids gather at Pujo at the ancestral house at say, Uttarpara, for four days of unbridled fun and festivities. My world has mostly revolved around my parents and my sister and Thamma & Dadu as they used to stay with us . Dadubhai is no more. Thamma, even at this age, has lost none of her silken touch at making payesh and khichuri, things she can keep on feeding you till you say ,”Na, aar paarchi na!”. In a sense, I have missed having relatives one can spend quality time with, cousins one can play chor-police and shaap-shiri with. But as time passes by and I see how fragile these relationships are becoming day by day, how relatives more often than not instead of lending you a helping hand, a comforting hug in times of trouble are only looking for ways and means to deceive you ,take unfair advantage of you and compete with you, I wonder whether I have been unlucky at all, not having these people around. I know I am generalizing way too much here. There are many families where the brothers and sisters have absolutely wonderful ties that bind them. But I guess as one matures in life with age, the inconvenient truth that one wakes upto is this. No matter how many close friends and relatives one may be surrounded by, the only ones you can trust blindfolded are your parents and siblings( some would say there’s a question even on that). But Didi , I love you like crazy and I just can’t imagine in my wildest dreams, relations souring between us ever. So I’ll stick to that. I call it the core group, people who love you for what you are and will never harm you. And even if they are upset with you , know that it’s for your own good.
I can write pages and pages on what having Ma, Baba & Didi in my life means to me. To be honest, they are my life. And I don’t know why but with each passing day, I only seem to see them in a new light where a new facet to their awesomeness gets revealed to me. Maybe I am growing up, finally!
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Finally, a post!
It’s been almost two weeks since I have made an attempt at writing something for either myself or for anyone else . The account of my stay at Singapore that I had so fervently hoped to maintain has got lost somewhere in the muddle of time, fleeting as it always is. Maybe I have just been too lazy or maybe too consumed of thought and feelings that have flooded my being in the last two weeks. Reading what someone else writes about oneself, about rap music, about rainy days and if you get lucky, about yourself as well has just seemed so much more fun and exhilarating all of a sudden. Or is it just the last two weeks? To be honest, that is what I have been doing since mid-March when on an otherwise ordinary day I was introduced to the world of delirium and delight and how seamlessly one can look at one as the other. Life hasn’t quite been the same ever since.
Doubts start creeping in often enough as to whether I am making too much of what there is in an attempt to dream about what I would like it to be. But that’s the best thing about thoughts. You seldom have any control over them. So, when they take you on a ride into a world where everything is exactly as you would like them to be, you just don’t wanna get off. Reality kicks in soon enough and you are left with the knowledge that the gateway to the “perfect world” is yet to open. Just keep standing in the queue, you seem to tell yourself. The time will eventually come! The taste of the fruit is not always in eating it but in pining for it, you see.
So, to come back to what I have been upto . Work and food have been the most prominent features. Laboriously working at something that you just know isn’t your cup of tea is an experience in itself. I won’t say I have been loving it because it teaches you how to overcome obstacles in life and all the crap that I parroted in the interview. I just look at it this way. I am here to do a job and I will do it to the best of my ability. The money I am being paid and all the amazing experiences that I am having out here more than makes up for the moments of self doubt and sheer disgust that creep up often enough. It’s Economics at play. Whether the remuneration of labour is more than the cost of it and in my case it surely is. I won’t bore you anymore with the philosophy and economics fundas . So let’s talk about Singapore, about Clarke quay, about Turkish ice cream and Chilean wine and futsal at the beach.
Starting in reverse . It all started with ours bumping into a senior from college and ended with an hour of sweat soaked ball chasing at the beach. We sucked at the game, all of us and it was shame that guys twenty years our senior appeared so much more agile and adept even at their age. Then the counsellor’s voice in my mind came to the rescue. I was having fun at the end of the day feeling proud of the fact that I was here, at Singapore , on the beach , playing with seniors from a college where the fact that you area a KGPian is all that it takes to bring you together. The age, the place, the time doesn’t matter. Who cares if I sucked? I suck at so many others things as well. Football is just one of them. How easy is it to rationalize with oneself, isn’t it?
Coming to Chilean wine , margaritas, chocolate chip muffins, prawn fillets, mega mac burgers, ………the list is endless. What a gastronomic delight my stay has been at Singapore which I can safely anoint as the food capital of Asia. You ask for any cuisine that comes to your mind and chances are high that a restaurant within a one kilometer radius serves it! Not only do they serve great food, the entire experience is what makes it even more memorable right from the ambience to the courteous service. They almost make you feel embarrassed by the number of times they say “thank you” for each and every little thing! And yes, how can I forget the Turkish icecream. Facebook bears testimony to what a katwaing experience it was but I would recommend it to each and everyone who visits this place even at the cost of making a fool out of yourself in public. The taste’s worth it, I guarantee!
And so it has been ! Time has really flown, just to use a cliché. It’s been three weeks in a new country and it seems like yesterday when we landed at Changi , a little dreamy eyed. The rest of our ten week stay is going to pass even faster as each of us gets involved in more serious work and with our planned trips to Malaysia and Bali taking up the weekends. But yes, to be honest there have been moments even in this fastlane that have made time stand still. Moments that made the heart skip a beat, that made an otherwise boring day appear magical. When the fullmoon cast a spell in the sky , when sun signs started acquiring a meaning of their own, when discussing allergies over ISD seemed fun, when all that mattered was just the realization that Life for, all it’s miseries and disappointments is just too precious to whine and grumble about.
Doubts start creeping in often enough as to whether I am making too much of what there is in an attempt to dream about what I would like it to be. But that’s the best thing about thoughts. You seldom have any control over them. So, when they take you on a ride into a world where everything is exactly as you would like them to be, you just don’t wanna get off. Reality kicks in soon enough and you are left with the knowledge that the gateway to the “perfect world” is yet to open. Just keep standing in the queue, you seem to tell yourself. The time will eventually come! The taste of the fruit is not always in eating it but in pining for it, you see.
So, to come back to what I have been upto . Work and food have been the most prominent features. Laboriously working at something that you just know isn’t your cup of tea is an experience in itself. I won’t say I have been loving it because it teaches you how to overcome obstacles in life and all the crap that I parroted in the interview. I just look at it this way. I am here to do a job and I will do it to the best of my ability. The money I am being paid and all the amazing experiences that I am having out here more than makes up for the moments of self doubt and sheer disgust that creep up often enough. It’s Economics at play. Whether the remuneration of labour is more than the cost of it and in my case it surely is. I won’t bore you anymore with the philosophy and economics fundas . So let’s talk about Singapore, about Clarke quay, about Turkish ice cream and Chilean wine and futsal at the beach.
Starting in reverse . It all started with ours bumping into a senior from college and ended with an hour of sweat soaked ball chasing at the beach. We sucked at the game, all of us and it was shame that guys twenty years our senior appeared so much more agile and adept even at their age. Then the counsellor’s voice in my mind came to the rescue. I was having fun at the end of the day feeling proud of the fact that I was here, at Singapore , on the beach , playing with seniors from a college where the fact that you area a KGPian is all that it takes to bring you together. The age, the place, the time doesn’t matter. Who cares if I sucked? I suck at so many others things as well. Football is just one of them. How easy is it to rationalize with oneself, isn’t it?
Coming to Chilean wine , margaritas, chocolate chip muffins, prawn fillets, mega mac burgers, ………the list is endless. What a gastronomic delight my stay has been at Singapore which I can safely anoint as the food capital of Asia. You ask for any cuisine that comes to your mind and chances are high that a restaurant within a one kilometer radius serves it! Not only do they serve great food, the entire experience is what makes it even more memorable right from the ambience to the courteous service. They almost make you feel embarrassed by the number of times they say “thank you” for each and every little thing! And yes, how can I forget the Turkish icecream. Facebook bears testimony to what a katwaing experience it was but I would recommend it to each and everyone who visits this place even at the cost of making a fool out of yourself in public. The taste’s worth it, I guarantee!
And so it has been ! Time has really flown, just to use a cliché. It’s been three weeks in a new country and it seems like yesterday when we landed at Changi , a little dreamy eyed. The rest of our ten week stay is going to pass even faster as each of us gets involved in more serious work and with our planned trips to Malaysia and Bali taking up the weekends. But yes, to be honest there have been moments even in this fastlane that have made time stand still. Moments that made the heart skip a beat, that made an otherwise boring day appear magical. When the fullmoon cast a spell in the sky , when sun signs started acquiring a meaning of their own, when discussing allergies over ISD seemed fun, when all that mattered was just the realization that Life for, all it’s miseries and disappointments is just too precious to whine and grumble about.
Monday, May 17, 2010
The Weekend
Yeh, so I haven’t been able to keep at maintaining my diary as I had expected. Primarily because of the addiction that free high speed wi-fi connection in the comfort of one’s bedroom brings with itself. And partly due to the fact that I have been busy discovering the sights and sounds of Singapore to the fullest. It’s ironical that I have managed to find out time in the middle of office hours to write this blogpost but then workload has been almost inexistent for the past week or so. Barclays surely does treat it’s interns like toddlers helping them to figure out the A,B,C’s of the investment banking world with a lot of care and freedom.
The weekend was pretty colourful as expected. Clarke quay, where I stay , has an amazingly vibrant festive feel to it . With restaurants serving exotic seafood, bars with live bands playing,discos blaring out foot tapping numbers and the young crowd out to let their hairs down, the place is a tourist’s delight. Tired after our visit to the Marina Barrage, worthwhile though it was, we settled for a can of beer and our first tryst with the cigar. It turned out to be quite an intoxicating concoction!
After waking up at around 12 noon on Saturday, we decided to try out the Robin Hood movie at Plaza Singapura. To put it very mildly, both the multiplex and the movie was a disappointment. Only the hot dogs that we had at the Cineplex seemed like value for money. It was now time to head for the famed Night Safari which thankfully brought an otherwise lousy day to an exciting end. A trip to the Amazon rain forests, the grasslands of south east Asia, the Savannahs all at once was more than we could have asked for. Highlights would include spotting the snow leopard, the Malayan tiger, the giant ant eaters & the Asian Lion. The night safari tour on the tram with that typical sound of frogs quacking and crickets buzzing around us as we made our through swampy marshes generated a lot of excitement and ooohh and aaahs among us. The only dampener, so to say, was the fact that we could not capture the animals on film with flash photography prohibited. On our way back we were almost on the verge of being forced into a night safari of a different kind with us managing to lose our way to Clarke Quay. It was a miracle that we happened to board a bus which was to go to Clarke Quay and thus we were saved from burning a major crater hole in our packets.
I visited Little India yesterday and it really did feel like being back in homeland. Traffic jams courtesy no traffic rules, loud music, bright lights, hawkers and most certainly more people per square foot area. My heart soared with pride when I saw hoardings in Bengali and Bengali music playing on the speaker. Little India has this significant Bangladeshi population who run these grocery shops and restaurants where you get things really cheap. We had a bottle of water for $1 and Aamras for $2. Nice deal, I would say. Mustafa’s, the famed shopping mall is huge. You can step in owning nothing in this world with just your credit card and walk out ready to start a household. As for us, we bought GoGo sunglasses and some basic food stuff to last us the week. I promise to be back here before my internship ends for all the shopping that I need to do for people back home.
Other highlights would be the amazing two day training we had at 7city educational services. I only wish it would have stretched on a little longer. Sean King, the burly American guy who was taking our classes is one genius joker. He managed to keep us awake through the 7 hr lectures for two consecutive days, which when one s the fact that the class consisted mainly KGPians, is a big achievement. Raffles place where we had the classes can give downtown Manhattan a run for it’s money when it comes to skyscrapers. And our intimate relation with flesh and meat continued unabated with turkey being the latest prey. My Oh My, is the turkey and bacon grilled burger at Burger King sumptuous? Just have it and you’ll forget Mcdonalds and Subway.
And so my first week at Singapore came to an end. It’s been amazing to say the least. I have discovered so many places, tasted a plethora of gastronomic delights in such a short of a span of time and done so little work at office.! What more can one ask for. I only hope that the coming weeks are as enjoyable as the first with some real work at office interspersed in between though!
The weekend was pretty colourful as expected. Clarke quay, where I stay , has an amazingly vibrant festive feel to it . With restaurants serving exotic seafood, bars with live bands playing,discos blaring out foot tapping numbers and the young crowd out to let their hairs down, the place is a tourist’s delight. Tired after our visit to the Marina Barrage, worthwhile though it was, we settled for a can of beer and our first tryst with the cigar. It turned out to be quite an intoxicating concoction!
After waking up at around 12 noon on Saturday, we decided to try out the Robin Hood movie at Plaza Singapura. To put it very mildly, both the multiplex and the movie was a disappointment. Only the hot dogs that we had at the Cineplex seemed like value for money. It was now time to head for the famed Night Safari which thankfully brought an otherwise lousy day to an exciting end. A trip to the Amazon rain forests, the grasslands of south east Asia, the Savannahs all at once was more than we could have asked for. Highlights would include spotting the snow leopard, the Malayan tiger, the giant ant eaters & the Asian Lion. The night safari tour on the tram with that typical sound of frogs quacking and crickets buzzing around us as we made our through swampy marshes generated a lot of excitement and ooohh and aaahs among us. The only dampener, so to say, was the fact that we could not capture the animals on film with flash photography prohibited. On our way back we were almost on the verge of being forced into a night safari of a different kind with us managing to lose our way to Clarke Quay. It was a miracle that we happened to board a bus which was to go to Clarke Quay and thus we were saved from burning a major crater hole in our packets.
I visited Little India yesterday and it really did feel like being back in homeland. Traffic jams courtesy no traffic rules, loud music, bright lights, hawkers and most certainly more people per square foot area. My heart soared with pride when I saw hoardings in Bengali and Bengali music playing on the speaker. Little India has this significant Bangladeshi population who run these grocery shops and restaurants where you get things really cheap. We had a bottle of water for $1 and Aamras for $2. Nice deal, I would say. Mustafa’s, the famed shopping mall is huge. You can step in owning nothing in this world with just your credit card and walk out ready to start a household. As for us, we bought GoGo sunglasses and some basic food stuff to last us the week. I promise to be back here before my internship ends for all the shopping that I need to do for people back home.
Other highlights would be the amazing two day training we had at 7city educational services. I only wish it would have stretched on a little longer. Sean King, the burly American guy who was taking our classes is one genius joker. He managed to keep us awake through the 7 hr lectures for two consecutive days, which when one s the fact that the class consisted mainly KGPians, is a big achievement. Raffles place where we had the classes can give downtown Manhattan a run for it’s money when it comes to skyscrapers. And our intimate relation with flesh and meat continued unabated with turkey being the latest prey. My Oh My, is the turkey and bacon grilled burger at Burger King sumptuous? Just have it and you’ll forget Mcdonalds and Subway.
And so my first week at Singapore came to an end. It’s been amazing to say the least. I have discovered so many places, tasted a plethora of gastronomic delights in such a short of a span of time and done so little work at office.! What more can one ask for. I only hope that the coming weeks are as enjoyable as the first with some real work at office interspersed in between though!
Monday, May 10, 2010
10th May, 2010
The complementary breakfast was anything but that… A lavish spread of juices, fruits, bread, ham, sausages, mashed egg, quasedillo & cornflakes.
My friends had all of a sudden become my colleagues. Everyone looked every bit the corporate guy with their formals on. I looked at myself in the mirror. The face was still the same but the boy had graduated into a man, ready to take on the world.
This was to be our induction as interns into Barclays Capital. We reached SMU where another group of bright eyed “young adults” greeted us. People from diverse backgrounds- Pakistan, Srilanka, Malaysia, Australia and of course Singapore itself. It had the colours of a mini Asia Pacific Commomwealth summit. Over the course of the day, we got to know the organisation we were going to work for and each other better through various lectures and group activities that had been arranged . Some a little less interesting than the others as usual but it was fun at the end of the day simply because we felt so welcomed into Barclays Capital right from day one. I just hope that I am able to say the same in my last blog post. Btw, one very interesting and for us a humbling piece of information: Barclays is the first bank in the world to have introduced ATM’s . Not a bad place to intern at, heh.
The day finished off on an absolutely mindblowing note with the networking drinks session at the posh Raffles Hotel. My line manager unfortunately could not turn up but his representative was there. To tell you the truth, it really didn’t matter whether I got a chance to meet him or not. When you have unlimited free wine at your disposal and a host of exotic snacks to dig into, who cares. I just drowned myself into the pleasure of the moment. Had some nice conversation though with some of the other MD’s and VP’s getting a glimpse into what it means to be at the top of the investment banking business and what it takes to get there.
Office starts tomorrow at 9 am. It’s already pretty late and I have to sleep on an empty stomach. I don’t mind, though. Just looking forward to my first day at office tomorrow.
My friends had all of a sudden become my colleagues. Everyone looked every bit the corporate guy with their formals on. I looked at myself in the mirror. The face was still the same but the boy had graduated into a man, ready to take on the world.
This was to be our induction as interns into Barclays Capital. We reached SMU where another group of bright eyed “young adults” greeted us. People from diverse backgrounds- Pakistan, Srilanka, Malaysia, Australia and of course Singapore itself. It had the colours of a mini Asia Pacific Commomwealth summit. Over the course of the day, we got to know the organisation we were going to work for and each other better through various lectures and group activities that had been arranged . Some a little less interesting than the others as usual but it was fun at the end of the day simply because we felt so welcomed into Barclays Capital right from day one. I just hope that I am able to say the same in my last blog post. Btw, one very interesting and for us a humbling piece of information: Barclays is the first bank in the world to have introduced ATM’s . Not a bad place to intern at, heh.
The day finished off on an absolutely mindblowing note with the networking drinks session at the posh Raffles Hotel. My line manager unfortunately could not turn up but his representative was there. To tell you the truth, it really didn’t matter whether I got a chance to meet him or not. When you have unlimited free wine at your disposal and a host of exotic snacks to dig into, who cares. I just drowned myself into the pleasure of the moment. Had some nice conversation though with some of the other MD’s and VP’s getting a glimpse into what it means to be at the top of the investment banking business and what it takes to get there.
Office starts tomorrow at 9 am. It’s already pretty late and I have to sleep on an empty stomach. I don’t mind, though. Just looking forward to my first day at office tomorrow.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Singapore Diaries
8th-9th May,2010
So, where do I start from? Let’s begin from my one hour wait at the lobby at the NSCB Int’l airport. Excited co KGPians all around bubbling with energy at the prospect of waking up in a new country, a new home , albeit a new life. While some were busy discussing JAVA and UNIX, others of my ilk were out with the cameras posing for photographs so that we never run out of Facebook uploads. The flight was pretty decent especially the food what with lamb marinated in red wine and apple flan at our mercy. Although it took some time for me to figure out the channels on the TV screen in front, I finally settled for some light jazz music and then for some much needed sleep. The air hostesses were a big disappointment, though.
The first thing that struck me when we landed was the weather, very Kolkata like, hot and humid. The sun rises pretty late at Singapore although logic tells me otherwise but I was just too tired to inquire any further. Changi airport is HUGE…… that’s the best way to describe it. There must be around 20 flights leaving every hour and yet it seems to sort of scatter all the travelers by it’s sheer size. The travelletors are smooth as silk and the shops tend to hold you back just to stare in wonder. Wines, jewellery, accessories, electronic goods… you ask for it and they have it here.
And so we were on our way to the Riverside Village residences. The roads in Singapore kind of scare you at first glance if you have grown up in India with our unique brand of civic sense. You get the feeling that your car is zooming past a runway or a formula one track. I was simply stunned by the kind of discipline that these people have managed to instill in themselves. It’s a showcase town really, very unreal at first but then you tend to soak it all in.
After having settled down in our comfortable apartments, Pritam and I went out for a walk by the Singapore River. The architecture of each and every skyscraper in Singapore is so exquisite that it makes you marvel at man’s genius in creating such a lovely portrait out of brick and mortar. People jog here at 11 in the morning some even with their little ones on the pram. We managed to spot dog shit lying on the pavement at one remote location though. Thinking of mailing the pics to INDIA TV back home.:)
It rained in the afternoon. We had a mini explosion in our kitchen trying to light the gas. All elements were at play together. And now finally as I write the last few lines of a day of evening river cruise and double cheese burger courtesy Mc Donald’s, of cigarettes bought for 10 SGD and countless things not bought , I feel a sense of gratitude for all that this day has brought along it. There was heartbreak at the end of the day too but I don’t wanna ruin the mood by talking abt it now. Such is life. For all the joy and excitement that you think you can absorb, there’s always a tinge of disappointment that tags along to make you realize that you are at the mercy of feelings and emotions that always have their own script in mind. So always value what you have but learn to let go…
So, where do I start from? Let’s begin from my one hour wait at the lobby at the NSCB Int’l airport. Excited co KGPians all around bubbling with energy at the prospect of waking up in a new country, a new home , albeit a new life. While some were busy discussing JAVA and UNIX, others of my ilk were out with the cameras posing for photographs so that we never run out of Facebook uploads. The flight was pretty decent especially the food what with lamb marinated in red wine and apple flan at our mercy. Although it took some time for me to figure out the channels on the TV screen in front, I finally settled for some light jazz music and then for some much needed sleep. The air hostesses were a big disappointment, though.
The first thing that struck me when we landed was the weather, very Kolkata like, hot and humid. The sun rises pretty late at Singapore although logic tells me otherwise but I was just too tired to inquire any further. Changi airport is HUGE…… that’s the best way to describe it. There must be around 20 flights leaving every hour and yet it seems to sort of scatter all the travelers by it’s sheer size. The travelletors are smooth as silk and the shops tend to hold you back just to stare in wonder. Wines, jewellery, accessories, electronic goods… you ask for it and they have it here.
And so we were on our way to the Riverside Village residences. The roads in Singapore kind of scare you at first glance if you have grown up in India with our unique brand of civic sense. You get the feeling that your car is zooming past a runway or a formula one track. I was simply stunned by the kind of discipline that these people have managed to instill in themselves. It’s a showcase town really, very unreal at first but then you tend to soak it all in.
After having settled down in our comfortable apartments, Pritam and I went out for a walk by the Singapore River. The architecture of each and every skyscraper in Singapore is so exquisite that it makes you marvel at man’s genius in creating such a lovely portrait out of brick and mortar. People jog here at 11 in the morning some even with their little ones on the pram. We managed to spot dog shit lying on the pavement at one remote location though. Thinking of mailing the pics to INDIA TV back home.:)
It rained in the afternoon. We had a mini explosion in our kitchen trying to light the gas. All elements were at play together. And now finally as I write the last few lines of a day of evening river cruise and double cheese burger courtesy Mc Donald’s, of cigarettes bought for 10 SGD and countless things not bought , I feel a sense of gratitude for all that this day has brought along it. There was heartbreak at the end of the day too but I don’t wanna ruin the mood by talking abt it now. Such is life. For all the joy and excitement that you think you can absorb, there’s always a tinge of disappointment that tags along to make you realize that you are at the mercy of feelings and emotions that always have their own script in mind. So always value what you have but learn to let go…
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
A Good day
It’s been a good day, that I have to say. Lovely weather, that heady feeling of dollars in your wallet and of course a pleasant meeting with a very interesting person that left me with a lot to think about. Coming to the elements first. A gentle breeze carrying the smell of the moist earth kissing your face as you drive down Chowringhee at 8 in the evening on an otherwise humid May day. How often does that happen? It’s when you realize that for all the air conditioning you have available in today’s age, nothing can beat the pure magic of naturally cool air. It rained yesterday too and pretty heavily at that. My street wears a new look this year though with no waterlogging and no having to wade through knee-deep water. In a sense, I kind of miss the not-so-good old times when even a short but heavy shower would mean all life paralyzed for atleast a few hours. It afforded me a justified pretext to bunk school the day after. Now I guess, there’s no school to bunk and no waterlogging anymore too.
I finally have the arms and ammunition with me to shop at Changi airport’s duty free haven. I have had to wait for it a little longer than I would have liked. But it’s worth it!
It went well- that’s what I’ll say about the meeting. We talked, we walked, we walked and talked. We ate, we listened to music and we listened to each other. We debated, we disagreed. We laughed, we joked. I wondered, I thought and then I realized there’s no point in thinking. So, I just let it be. I guess the other person did the same.
I finally have the arms and ammunition with me to shop at Changi airport’s duty free haven. I have had to wait for it a little longer than I would have liked. But it’s worth it!
It went well- that’s what I’ll say about the meeting. We talked, we walked, we walked and talked. We ate, we listened to music and we listened to each other. We debated, we disagreed. We laughed, we joked. I wondered, I thought and then I realized there’s no point in thinking. So, I just let it be. I guess the other person did the same.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Rimjhim Gire Saawan
Yes! Helplessly Hoping…. That’s what the last couple of days have been. Helplessly hoping for the rains, Helplessly Hoping for my flight tickets to arrive & Helplessly Hoping for a message or a call from someone. Amazingly, I have managed to find a solution for the first. http://www.rainymood.com/- offers you an escape from this unbearable heat and sweat into an alternate world of peace and relaxation. I have no solution for the other two.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
My second post
How often does it happen to you that a seemingly productive day ends up with you and a friend engaging in unadulterated “bakar” mind you not on Gtalk but DC chat? Chances are one in a hundred. Today was one of those rare occasions when I discovered hitherto unexplored techniques of time wastage. But then the entire third year has been very kind to me in that sense. I’ve indulged in so many new things, seen myself in shades both murky & bright that I never thought lay inside me. Limits have been stretched, boundaries erased , new territories conquered albeit of a dangerous kind. And most importantly perceptions or rather misconceptions about these perceptions have been cleared once and for all.
The last 10 months have been a whirlwind ride filled with laughter, love gained and love lost, success and heartbreaks. Perhaps the most significant achievement after coming to college happened on the way that kind of makes up for every other disappointment and debacle.
Friendship acquired an altogether different meaning with the realization of being in the midst of a crazy but insanely talented bunch of guys. An underdog rose to the occasion and forever cemented his place in the Hall Of Fame. A genius made peace with that four letter word that has a funny way of leaving us all stumped- LUCK. A romantic finally found his angel & muse( don’t worry they are the same). Two strangers in particular stole my heart with their simplicity and affability. What did I do? I fell in love or atleast I would like to believe so. Bells did not ring in my head neither did I see the colours of the rainbow on a cloudy sky. But there was something. It demands an entirely independent paean written in it’s honour. So I’ll talk about it later. It’s 3:30 already- the beginning of the one hour window when sleeps comes to me easily. So, I better be off.
The last 10 months have been a whirlwind ride filled with laughter, love gained and love lost, success and heartbreaks. Perhaps the most significant achievement after coming to college happened on the way that kind of makes up for every other disappointment and debacle.
Friendship acquired an altogether different meaning with the realization of being in the midst of a crazy but insanely talented bunch of guys. An underdog rose to the occasion and forever cemented his place in the Hall Of Fame. A genius made peace with that four letter word that has a funny way of leaving us all stumped- LUCK. A romantic finally found his angel & muse( don’t worry they are the same). Two strangers in particular stole my heart with their simplicity and affability. What did I do? I fell in love or atleast I would like to believe so. Bells did not ring in my head neither did I see the colours of the rainbow on a cloudy sky. But there was something. It demands an entirely independent paean written in it’s honour. So I’ll talk about it later. It’s 3:30 already- the beginning of the one hour window when sleeps comes to me easily. So, I better be off.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Sugar & Spice
I must have created my blogger account about a year back. As with many other things in life that you know will make you really happy if you take the chance but never quite manage to, I always found myself short on motivation to write. So, the obvious question to ask : What made me change my mind suddenly on a cloudy Friday evening? Primarily, the enigmatic charm of somebody else’s writing that I happened to chance upon. Seldom have I been consumed so wholesomely by the magic of words. Words that are crisp, accurate, enchanting falling into place one after the other to conjure up an image in your mind that is so fleeting that you can’t capture it. Yet leaving an impression which comes back to leave you in wondrous amazement time and time again.
What I am still deliberating upon is the subject of my first post. One can always write about college life, it’s joys and disappointments, friendship &love. But that is something we discuss every single day. All of us have heard a lot about what people have to say on these topics starting from the learned scholars to even the roadside tea seller in my case. So, let’s not go there right away.
It’s tough to concentrate on making my first post meaningful with the weather outside luring me to go and take a walk on the 2.2. The breeze is just the kind that will kiss your face and leave the shoda smell of the wet earth behind. I haven’t experienced that for I don’t know how long. So, I’ll say goodbye for now .
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