Hey You !

It seemed a perfect afternoon after a long time -  rain drenched and cloudy - brishti , shorshe ilish aar bhaat ghum, though I did skip the last one  in the end, and did my pending corrections.The garden looked good,  fresh , green - and rainwashed. I love Kolkata in the rains...especially the tram rides in the drizzle through the  verdant maidan. Haven't done that in a long ,long time though. In college it was quite a ritual that instead of coming home from Park Circus to Ballygunj, we would take a detour via Maidan- the large stretch of greenery where boys played football, hawkers sold anything from chickpeas to pav-bhaji and lovers found their own space taking their island of refuge from a thousand peering eyes.- It was so different from the world of bricks and mortars . I would put my face out to catch the wind on my face or the raindrop and feel the gush of freedom. It was so long ago, seems another lifetime. I remember a funny anecdote - on a trip to Sunder...

The Facebook wall is plastered with Father's Day posts and pictures - And it also happens to be Yoga Day and the year's Longest day ! I for one am still sore - it's still raining in my heart. Over the years , I have not been much of a Day celebrator - except Birthdays, so a special day for the Father/ Mother/ Brother / Sister has no specific meaning for me, honestly ! Last evening the message from God delivered : What you are most afraid of is where your greatest rewards are. If all you had to do was wish for something and you would have it, life would be pretty boring, wouldn't it? God placed barriers between us and what we want, so we can enjoy interesting and satisfying lives. God hid our biggest rewards behind the highest barriers - our deepest fears. God wants us to face our fears, and hold ground in their presence, and let them go, and that's how we get out biggest rewards. What are you most afraid of? Say it, just start by saying it. All my life...

I guess we were a generation who were the first to be introduced to the world of "instantness"- Maggi , Nikki-Tasha kitchenette and Hot-shot camera. Maggi , like Sudatta mentioned today has many memories. I used to stay in a barsati in Chittaranjan Avenue and had only a heater and saucepan for company. The only food I could make was Maggi. My staple lunch. Chibu's first culinary experiment was with Maggi "noode" -he could not even pronounce the word properly. So it would be sad to see Maggi go- despite the "lead' and msg brahua. We consume arsenic in water , tanin in tea leaves, metanil yellow in turmeric and numerous other pesticides/ chemically harmful ingredients in almost all the eatables.  I do not support Maggi's adulteration , but am just saddened to see the instant fall from grace- easy come uneasy go......  And T4's fall from grace is equally sad - he is a "beast" after all so it's a crime that he killed a human. We...

It was one on those rare easy morning - we sat over our tea and talked about relationships. Bhaskar 's contention was that getting old is getting better with oneself - feeling settled and finding  acceptance. He said he has enjoyed life more in these last ten years than he did in his youth when he was "chasing" something or the other :) He rectified and said that mostly he was chasing runs, being the cricketer that he was! With relationships being so brittle all around , sometimes I am amazed when someone makes the effort to keep it going despite the nonchalance all around . In many ways I still believe in the old fashioned  theory of commitment ! The single rose in the rose bush after many days of drought  was quite symbolic - standing out on its own - singularly all by itself ! Some days , like I said are good - and beyond the hustle bustle of life, not having to leave home at 9 to beat the late mark,not have that  exasperation of the traffic and the deadlines ...

The much hyped Mothers' Day is over - and I can breathe easy. People can call me jealous, cos my son unlike the others is not so fastidious about wishing me and I have no one I can wish. He woke up at 1 in the afternoon and wished.....after a few reminders I am sure. Back in school we used to have "Mothers' Day" - a day when the mothers came to see their children perform on stage. Once I was in the orchestra playing the triangle, and as we marched out I tried to look beyond the spotlight trying to find ma behind that darkness in the hall full of mothers. Ma always laughed as she narrated how I stopped on the tracks and looked for her and was nudged by the others. Coming back myself , I began as a reluctant mother. Life for me was a breeze, parties, part time jobs, going out , travels, who wanted to be tied down to a crying baby and changing diapers?It took me almost five and a half years, two miscarriages and a major session of counselling to realize that I should...

The idea was actually Abhishikta's - on  one of those chats when we exchanged about "Ah men !" :) Since my colleagues are mostly 20s and 30s the "love" factor is often discussed. There take is that old people do not fall in love - and I fall in that old category ! My indignant "Why not?" got drowned in Sid's flat statement " Tumi ki oi shob hyapa nebe naki ? Dibbi toh achcho - independent , free !" Ah men ....they can fall in and out and roll all over , so why can't we? The age  old debate.... A childhood friend recently broke up on his marriage of 30 years. I never thought he would be able to walk out and live with his girlfriend openly and not hide it- I never thought he would have the guts to make her socially acceptable. I was saddened by the break , but then being non judgmental I accepted his decision without much "Why did you and how could you?"s !!! But at times I do wonder what would have happened if the scenari...

My first thought of the earthquake on Saturday was that I will not have to evacuate Baba .Of course that was a sense of relief... Later as the news poured in I again wondered about the transitoriness of life- and the power of natural calamity. How life perishes in one single blow. We dream of this and that and make our choices - bicker and fight all for no reason. The earthquake also made me think of choices ... Of wanting to live the way I want to, to do what I want to and not think Oh I will do it tomorrow ....Read all the books that are piled on my bedside , all the movies that I haven't watched and visit people and places that are forever on the to -do list. It occurred to me that I just have the choice to do what I want to do...without looking back, without a remorse. It reminded me of a time when Chibu all of 7 was playing for a selection game of a cricket match. The ball hit his bat and went for a catch and he was not selected . He came back home and sat in a corner ...