I've been feeling a little sick from sometime, but that hasn't stopped me from wondering. Wondering about my blog and trying to reasses why people blog.
I initially started my blog as a personal page thingie. It was a tough time for me. An emotionally draining and confusing period. And thus the blog was supposed to help me ease off by writing it all out. I used to keep a diary when i was younger and so this was more like moving with the times. In those initial days i made my blog public only to a handful of people. People who meant a lot to me. People whom i knew could help me ease off by offering a patient hearing. And some did too. To me then it was more of an exercise of facing my fears by writing about things and a way of communicating my feelings in writing ( i ALWAYS find that easier) to the few people i wanted to.
For quite sometime following that, i blogged sporadically and infrequently. But slowly as one thing led to another, i started discovering the blog world and reading about people whom i had maybe run into once or twice or knew sometime or the other. I realized that blogging is born more out of every humans craving for attention. And slowy but surely it got to me too. I began publicising my blog. Dropping in comments on other peoples posts hoping they'd drop by too. Now, quite a few poeple read this blog.
But today i realized, as i was recovering from a rather bluesy day and a half, that at times i regret having done so. I realize that now i can't reverse the process. I couldn't write about all the things that were bothering me; like yesterday. I miss the hiding place my blog initially provided.
....................................
Coming to back to the regular features:
I must say it was amazing to watch Brazil cream Argentina yesterday. I never thought they'd do them in that bad. I'm not an Argentina fan but neither am i all gung-ho about Brazil.
Its back to enjoying tennis on TV too. Its mind boggling to see Roddick serve like the way he does. Calculating, using some data regarding tennis court dimensions, it turns out that a 135 mph serve from his racquet would reach you within 0.45 seconds. Some more calculations shall lead you to the astounding discovery that to reach this potential ace you would need to generate an acceleration of 12.91 m/s*s i.e. your racquet must be accelerating towards the oncoming fuzzy green mass at that acceleration!! This is more than a G force!! Makes you marvel at this simple, quiet and regular looking fellow called Federer doesn't it??
I played football after a whole week in our sloshy para field. Scored 1 goal and set up the other, but missed a million more. A lot of snails come into the isolated puddles in the field and turn out to be really dangerous. Broken mollusk shells are as good as shards of glass. I got myself a gash in the first day of play itself. But nothing can beat the fun of a para football match.
Thursday, June 30, 2005
sleepless in kolkata...
feel rather upset and blue tonight... lonely, sad and scared. miss the coffee and the company.
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
an awesome day...
Am just back from Cheddis and its 2 in the morning. Got thoroughly drenched in the rain. Except for the trousers the rest of yours truly seemed very happy. Listening to Lyin' Eyes by the Eagles after AGES and it feels good.
I've been brimming with ideas to psyche out all those kids who've come, parents in tow, for counselling after cracking JEE. Would be great to talk about scary fictional ragging stories within earshot of all the concerned parents. It'd be enough to freak them out totally. Its seriously amazing when you think of all the holy notions with which you come here straight out of school. And what's funnier is that these kids think of you as some holy being.
In the evening the weather was unbeatable. Overcast, windy. And i was having coffee and the best conversation with the girl. And some of my first college memories came back.
Went for dinner with Dash, Saahil and SV. Its wonderful hanging out with the guys. Having endless time to kill and not a worry to boot. The most amazing thing about the group is that theres always a ruckus, theres ALWAYS some hillarious incident to recall and laugh our heads off. LAUGH. Something we can't EVER do without. Later I met up with my first and the best friends i have in college. Dutta, Keshto, Nishant, SV and meself. Mandal wasn't around. Keshto hasn't and won't EVER change. The same freaky maniac he always was. His winning ways with the females make up half the funny conversations.
To end it all we walked all the way to Cheddis in the rain just to have cha like old times. Catching up on stuff. I miss the sharing of our hopeless lovelife problems with each other. And every second guy acting as the funda god. And now whenever we meet up we try to regain the lost touch. "Aar tor ki khobor"... the semblance of concern falls flat on its face. Its sad. You can never connect like old times.
Am back in Kolkata tomorrow. Back to good food and all the comforts home provides. But the freedom that Campus life brings is undeniable.
I've been brimming with ideas to psyche out all those kids who've come, parents in tow, for counselling after cracking JEE. Would be great to talk about scary fictional ragging stories within earshot of all the concerned parents. It'd be enough to freak them out totally. Its seriously amazing when you think of all the holy notions with which you come here straight out of school. And what's funnier is that these kids think of you as some holy being.
In the evening the weather was unbeatable. Overcast, windy. And i was having coffee and the best conversation with the girl. And some of my first college memories came back.
Went for dinner with Dash, Saahil and SV. Its wonderful hanging out with the guys. Having endless time to kill and not a worry to boot. The most amazing thing about the group is that theres always a ruckus, theres ALWAYS some hillarious incident to recall and laugh our heads off. LAUGH. Something we can't EVER do without. Later I met up with my first and the best friends i have in college. Dutta, Keshto, Nishant, SV and meself. Mandal wasn't around. Keshto hasn't and won't EVER change. The same freaky maniac he always was. His winning ways with the females make up half the funny conversations.
To end it all we walked all the way to Cheddis in the rain just to have cha like old times. Catching up on stuff. I miss the sharing of our hopeless lovelife problems with each other. And every second guy acting as the funda god. And now whenever we meet up we try to regain the lost touch. "Aar tor ki khobor"... the semblance of concern falls flat on its face. Its sad. You can never connect like old times.
Am back in Kolkata tomorrow. Back to good food and all the comforts home provides. But the freedom that Campus life brings is undeniable.
Sunday, June 26, 2005
blade of grass said bend which way you like cause no one cares except the poet
rain said fall anytime you like cause no one cares execpt the romantic
song said keep singing cause no cares execpt the stray listener caught in a memory
mountain stream said keep gurgling cause no one cares except the animals
she said something but i didn't listen even though i cared....
rain said fall anytime you like cause no one cares execpt the romantic
song said keep singing cause no cares execpt the stray listener caught in a memory
mountain stream said keep gurgling cause no one cares except the animals
she said something but i didn't listen even though i cared....
Kharagpur Khronicles
Just realized that Kharagpur is actually one of those Ektaa Kapoor types pathetic 4 year long ordeals.... (in an entirely different way tho)
Saturday, June 25, 2005
Friday, June 24, 2005
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Kharagpur...
Well i'm finally here. Ensconced in a run down version of what used to be my room. To my horror my computer finally after a whole year of hitch-free performance had let up. I came back to find it in a total state of disrepair. My talented and caring roomies who used it while i was away had tried thier hand at fixing the problem. They ended up giving me more headaches trying to put the computer back together. Now for those who don't know much about Kharagpur life should know that in Kgp without a computer you are totally lost. Its the sole source of all forms of entertainment. And with it you can spend 3 months locked up in a room. Thats how sad the story is on this side of the world.
Anyways i was expectedly very distraught faced with my out of order computer. I have a special attachment to this one because it has till date given me flawless service. Even here where the lan suffers from the most lethal virus attacks. So i got the people who strut the stuff and call themselves computer buffs. On a hunch we replaced the SMPS, the thing that distributes power to the various parts of the comp and voila we were up and running.
Now about Kharagpur. One day down and i'm pissed with this shithole of a place. Firstly food is a big problem. Nothing in PAN loop is open. Even to get a CD (cold drink) we'll have to cycle half a kilometre. The rains aren't here as yet. The days aren't as hot as i thought they would but bad enough. And its boring out here.
Theres a very strange feeling of isolation that keeps creeping into me whenever i return to Kgp after a long time. Its a scary feeling of being stranded and being left with nothing to do. Regular semester times are definitely very busy. But at times like this when college is closed. Its a wierd feeling. At one time i used to like it. Just when the semester would've gotten over and you could enjoy the peace and serenity. An escape from the mad pace that grips you during normal semester time. I'd stay back a few days into the vacations, listen to music and read in peace and contentment. But now after having coming back from home. After having enjoyed the comforts and security this place is certainly not the nicest to places to be in.
But anyways, i'll bear it till Monday and then i'm home!! Tarpor I'll become a member of National Library. Cinema dekhbo, football khelbo. And i'll eat good food.
Anyways i was expectedly very distraught faced with my out of order computer. I have a special attachment to this one because it has till date given me flawless service. Even here where the lan suffers from the most lethal virus attacks. So i got the people who strut the stuff and call themselves computer buffs. On a hunch we replaced the SMPS, the thing that distributes power to the various parts of the comp and voila we were up and running.
Now about Kharagpur. One day down and i'm pissed with this shithole of a place. Firstly food is a big problem. Nothing in PAN loop is open. Even to get a CD (cold drink) we'll have to cycle half a kilometre. The rains aren't here as yet. The days aren't as hot as i thought they would but bad enough. And its boring out here.
Theres a very strange feeling of isolation that keeps creeping into me whenever i return to Kgp after a long time. Its a scary feeling of being stranded and being left with nothing to do. Regular semester times are definitely very busy. But at times like this when college is closed. Its a wierd feeling. At one time i used to like it. Just when the semester would've gotten over and you could enjoy the peace and serenity. An escape from the mad pace that grips you during normal semester time. I'd stay back a few days into the vacations, listen to music and read in peace and contentment. But now after having coming back from home. After having enjoyed the comforts and security this place is certainly not the nicest to places to be in.
But anyways, i'll bear it till Monday and then i'm home!! Tarpor I'll become a member of National Library. Cinema dekhbo, football khelbo. And i'll eat good food.
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Monsoons and weddings??
My previous blog has scored and the monsoons are HERE!!! But heres the irony of it all. I have to go Kgp today for some 6 days and in all probability the monsoon clouds are not coming along with me yet. I checked the campus webpage and the on-campus weather link made horrific reading. It was 42.5 degrees centigrade yesterday!
Was watching the first round matches of Wimbledon yesterday and i must say.... the Big W is the BAAP of all that's tennis. Firstly the grass courts look so much more beautiful. But then again i guess the don't last long enough owing to all the play that wears it off as the tournament goes into the deeper rounds. Secondly grass is super fast. I mean Safins' serves simply zoomed from his racquet. Infact the ball was already with Srichapan by the time Safin was completing his follow through. Whats more interesting is that the speed change was definitely perciptible on the TV screen as i was used to (till yesterday) watching the ball lumber along the red-clay courts of the French Open.
F1 is coming to disrepute. The ruckus caused is a little baffling. I can't figure out why the FIA did not agree to build an extra chicane. Karthikeyan maybe, is lucky in way not have ended up on the podium at this race even though he had a realistic chance. He'd become a part of dubious history!
6 days at Kgp mean:
Was watching the first round matches of Wimbledon yesterday and i must say.... the Big W is the BAAP of all that's tennis. Firstly the grass courts look so much more beautiful. But then again i guess the don't last long enough owing to all the play that wears it off as the tournament goes into the deeper rounds. Secondly grass is super fast. I mean Safins' serves simply zoomed from his racquet. Infact the ball was already with Srichapan by the time Safin was completing his follow through. Whats more interesting is that the speed change was definitely perciptible on the TV screen as i was used to (till yesterday) watching the ball lumber along the red-clay courts of the French Open.
F1 is coming to disrepute. The ruckus caused is a little baffling. I can't figure out why the FIA did not agree to build an extra chicane. Karthikeyan maybe, is lucky in way not have ended up on the podium at this race even though he had a realistic chance. He'd become a part of dubious history!
6 days at Kgp mean:
- No newspapers in the morning
- No TV (bad considering I'll be missing Wimbledon AND the Confederations Cup)
- No football in the evenings
- No guilty feelings about using up Internet Hours
- Pathetic food
- Rising cigarette consumption
- Booze and cannabis whenever i want, IF i want to
- Back to unlimited music and movies on the computer
- Meeting up with the guys and going nuts
All this notwithstanding the drab drab drab Solid Mechanics subject matter to be studied.
Monday, June 20, 2005
Rainy night
It was a weary and tired night. And the trees had wilted. The birds were asleep, a tired day behind them. It was a silent, brooding night. The air hung heavy and encumbered. It suffocated and stifled my breath. The insects had forgotten to bounce off my netted windows. The mosquitoes had forgotten to sing. The lizard had been starving. And everybody rued.
Suddenly the sky growled and roared and lit up in flashes of lightning. In the middle of a dark dead night. The world came alive. With each flash i saw the stillness that gripped everything around me. The trees stood pensive, silhouetted against the dark inky skies. The houses stood solemn sheltering everyone who slept. And then the skies gave way. Chasing the oppresive heat away. The rain came down in torrents and the cool breeze flowed. In the middle of a summers night when all had slept. The rain came and gave birth to all. The ponds filled up and so did the puddles. The frogs croaked gleefully, in full throaty pleasure. The aroma of wet earth flooded the air.
In the middle of a summers night. The wet leaves glistened in the flashes of thunder. I ran out onto the terrace. The rain wet me, the breeze chilled me. The heat of the day was a fading image chased by the rainy night.
Suddenly the sky growled and roared and lit up in flashes of lightning. In the middle of a dark dead night. The world came alive. With each flash i saw the stillness that gripped everything around me. The trees stood pensive, silhouetted against the dark inky skies. The houses stood solemn sheltering everyone who slept. And then the skies gave way. Chasing the oppresive heat away. The rain came down in torrents and the cool breeze flowed. In the middle of a summers night when all had slept. The rain came and gave birth to all. The ponds filled up and so did the puddles. The frogs croaked gleefully, in full throaty pleasure. The aroma of wet earth flooded the air.
In the middle of a summers night. The wet leaves glistened in the flashes of thunder. I ran out onto the terrace. The rain wet me, the breeze chilled me. The heat of the day was a fading image chased by the rainy night.
Friday, June 17, 2005
things to wonder about...
Today's newspaper brought along some news of the rains. Thankfully the clouds haven't forgotten to take the crucial U-turn and head towards mainland India. I'm mighty glad and thankful to whoever gives them their geography lessons. They never lose their way, the Bay Of Bengal is huge enough to get lost in i say.
Asafa Powell broke the 100m sprint world record yesterday becoming the fastest man in the world. They say the conditions were ideal and he capitalising on the fast track and the ideal wind conditions did what people like me dream of. I've always been sprinting, since school. The best i've ever managed to clock is a 12.70 seconds, at my level it was good enough to unofficially make me the second fastest guy in college in my first year. Crouching over your starting boards, bending over at the perfect angle, the agonising wait to hear the gun off. Its like a million things compressed into a few milli-seconds. The feeling of the tension wanting to burst out of your body, everything being focussed on one simple clear bang. The world comes to a standstill, and then begins in slowmotion all over as soon as the moment of freedom comes, you hear the gun go off and shoot off like the possessed wind. A 100m dash is like no other adrenaline rush. The margin of error boils down to actual milli-seconds. Its the harshest race i've ever known. Some of my most vivid and pleasant memories of school surround the sports days. I'll never forget the day we (Gonzaga house) won the 4*100 mts relay and smashed the previous records by atleast 2 seconds! Being the underdogs it was even more emeorable at having thrashed all the heavy weights.
Finally got to see Bunty and Babli after a long while. Mediocre was what i would say critically. But good enough if you just want to go and enjoy a few laughs and ogle at Aishwarya Rai. I still maintain on an absolutely serious note that Ash makes you want to jump into the screen and join her- "Kajra re" is absolutely brilliant.
Last week I had my first IndiaMike meetup. As a first time experience i must say it was novel as all first time experiences are wont to be. Now i count myself to have gained a little experience and am sure next time round it'll be better. The most amazing thing that has come out of this whole thing is that i have finally found actual people who totally share my passion for mountains. Its a shame that i have to miss my first trek to a glacier!! Its during the pujo's when i get a measely 7 days off from college and thus can't accomondate the 2 week trek. But maybe the rock climbing exercise won't be missed in late Jan.
Malli has been making the news for sometime now. One of dad's students, Malli, is on his way to do the seven summits. The first solo Indian on such a venture. We flagged him off officially from home a few months back. It was my first meeting with him. He keeps sending us pictures of his adventures. Last i heard he was making his way to Alaska. He's all ready covered South America and Africa. Sent us this lovely tribal art painting of the tribes inhabiting the slopes of Kilamanjaro. Stuff of dreams ain't it??
And finally, Jadavpur is burning over. Till a few days back i knew from first hand sources that the Arts section wasn't affected. Considering themselves to be far away from the epicentre it didn't bother them much. But now even the union room has been shut down, no more carroms, no more cards. Meetings are the order of the day now. Buddha babu i think now finally realises that it has spun out of control. The police lathi charge has done the trick and its everybody's turn to indulge in some student politics. I think you should stick to the newspapers though for more current and comprehensive coverage of these latest events.
Asafa Powell broke the 100m sprint world record yesterday becoming the fastest man in the world. They say the conditions were ideal and he capitalising on the fast track and the ideal wind conditions did what people like me dream of. I've always been sprinting, since school. The best i've ever managed to clock is a 12.70 seconds, at my level it was good enough to unofficially make me the second fastest guy in college in my first year. Crouching over your starting boards, bending over at the perfect angle, the agonising wait to hear the gun off. Its like a million things compressed into a few milli-seconds. The feeling of the tension wanting to burst out of your body, everything being focussed on one simple clear bang. The world comes to a standstill, and then begins in slowmotion all over as soon as the moment of freedom comes, you hear the gun go off and shoot off like the possessed wind. A 100m dash is like no other adrenaline rush. The margin of error boils down to actual milli-seconds. Its the harshest race i've ever known. Some of my most vivid and pleasant memories of school surround the sports days. I'll never forget the day we (Gonzaga house) won the 4*100 mts relay and smashed the previous records by atleast 2 seconds! Being the underdogs it was even more emeorable at having thrashed all the heavy weights.
Finally got to see Bunty and Babli after a long while. Mediocre was what i would say critically. But good enough if you just want to go and enjoy a few laughs and ogle at Aishwarya Rai. I still maintain on an absolutely serious note that Ash makes you want to jump into the screen and join her- "Kajra re" is absolutely brilliant.
Last week I had my first IndiaMike meetup. As a first time experience i must say it was novel as all first time experiences are wont to be. Now i count myself to have gained a little experience and am sure next time round it'll be better. The most amazing thing that has come out of this whole thing is that i have finally found actual people who totally share my passion for mountains. Its a shame that i have to miss my first trek to a glacier!! Its during the pujo's when i get a measely 7 days off from college and thus can't accomondate the 2 week trek. But maybe the rock climbing exercise won't be missed in late Jan.
Malli has been making the news for sometime now. One of dad's students, Malli, is on his way to do the seven summits. The first solo Indian on such a venture. We flagged him off officially from home a few months back. It was my first meeting with him. He keeps sending us pictures of his adventures. Last i heard he was making his way to Alaska. He's all ready covered South America and Africa. Sent us this lovely tribal art painting of the tribes inhabiting the slopes of Kilamanjaro. Stuff of dreams ain't it??
And finally, Jadavpur is burning over. Till a few days back i knew from first hand sources that the Arts section wasn't affected. Considering themselves to be far away from the epicentre it didn't bother them much. But now even the union room has been shut down, no more carroms, no more cards. Meetings are the order of the day now. Buddha babu i think now finally realises that it has spun out of control. The police lathi charge has done the trick and its everybody's turn to indulge in some student politics. I think you should stick to the newspapers though for more current and comprehensive coverage of these latest events.
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Humidity be damned!!
The comforting thing is, i have a sneaky feeling that people are actually reading my modest humble blog. Obviously its a very concerting thought but i would encourage you to put in those comments and to remove any sort of misconception you may have about me being a human flesh devourer. This observation about people dropping by and reading this page crept up on me because i find that the no. of people visiting has been on the decline since i didn't blog for quite a few days. Though there appear to be still some loopholes in this theory, it should sort itself out after the small experiment i'm subjecting the page to is over and done with.
Anyways.... its been HUMID for the past few days and i realize that it gets to me pretty much more than i ever thought it would. I just can't wait for the first rains to come crashing down but then my thoughtful mind turns overcast when i realize that this is just mid June! Funny thing is i'm now looking forward to get back to Kgp because i know it'll be less humid but more hot. And i'm craving for change even though the deal might turn out to be for the worse. Yes i have to go back and give a suppli exam. A third term scar a lot of seniors had warned me about. It'll be good though i guess, back with the junta for a week. Though we can't allow ourelves to party much, money shall be at short supply, i guess it'll be good going back to waking the nights. Walking down to Cheddis, ALL of us, just like in our first year. Sit down with lots of cha and cigarettes and talk and talk and talk. Things never turn out the way you want them to though.
I've been re-reading To Kill A Mocking Bird the 'n' th time since i was Jem's age. Its a book that i'm sentimentally attached to. The copy is older than me by 3 years in the least and was gifted by dad to kaku before kaku left for the US. Reading it the first time- around 12 i was then- i didn't understand a lot of it. Those were my Gerald Durrell and Michael Crichton reading days and this was a different, serious novel. But then when i unearthed it 3 years later and read it a second time i fell in love with Atticus Finch. I understood more of it in my second read than my first, and this time i simply marvelled at Harper Lee's amazing ability to paint the racial prejudices deeply engrained in the white community of Maycomb County as seen through a 9 year old girls' eyes.
Saw Serendipity on TV after a long time and can't help being fascinated every time i watch the movie. The vision of New York is magical in the movie. The snow, the shops.... and i love the background score. It evokes wierd but pleasant feelings.
I gotta cut loose now, i'm missing the football match!!
Anyways.... its been HUMID for the past few days and i realize that it gets to me pretty much more than i ever thought it would. I just can't wait for the first rains to come crashing down but then my thoughtful mind turns overcast when i realize that this is just mid June! Funny thing is i'm now looking forward to get back to Kgp because i know it'll be less humid but more hot. And i'm craving for change even though the deal might turn out to be for the worse. Yes i have to go back and give a suppli exam. A third term scar a lot of seniors had warned me about. It'll be good though i guess, back with the junta for a week. Though we can't allow ourelves to party much, money shall be at short supply, i guess it'll be good going back to waking the nights. Walking down to Cheddis, ALL of us, just like in our first year. Sit down with lots of cha and cigarettes and talk and talk and talk. Things never turn out the way you want them to though.
I've been re-reading To Kill A Mocking Bird the 'n' th time since i was Jem's age. Its a book that i'm sentimentally attached to. The copy is older than me by 3 years in the least and was gifted by dad to kaku before kaku left for the US. Reading it the first time- around 12 i was then- i didn't understand a lot of it. Those were my Gerald Durrell and Michael Crichton reading days and this was a different, serious novel. But then when i unearthed it 3 years later and read it a second time i fell in love with Atticus Finch. I understood more of it in my second read than my first, and this time i simply marvelled at Harper Lee's amazing ability to paint the racial prejudices deeply engrained in the white community of Maycomb County as seen through a 9 year old girls' eyes.
Saw Serendipity on TV after a long time and can't help being fascinated every time i watch the movie. The vision of New York is magical in the movie. The snow, the shops.... and i love the background score. It evokes wierd but pleasant feelings.
I gotta cut loose now, i'm missing the football match!!
Friday, June 10, 2005
Bhoy Peona....
Tho this is insignificant now (time-frame wise) its a classic from K pishi.
BHOY PEONA (Sayan Chakraborti; with apologies to Sukumar Ray)
Bhoy peona, bhoy peona
Election-e harbona
Jodio ami Kerry-r shongey
Debate korey parbona
Debate dekhe bujhle to bhai,
Mathhai amaar kichh-chhu nei
“Freedom is on the March”
Chhara nei kono je kothar khei.
Eto ashshaash dichhi tobu bolchho amai gaadha?
Lok thokiye kemon ami judhhe gelam Dada?
Niriho lok morlo boley, dosh dichho kake?
Collateral damage-er hisheb ki keu rakhe?
WMD paini ami,
Hoyechhey ki tatey?
Mithyabadi bolchho amai?
Lorbey amaar shathey?
Gnoaartumir shesh nei,
Ami Texas Cowboy,
Nijer bhulti korbo shikar?
Oto boka ami noi.
Ar ekti bar vote dao morey
Dao aro char bochhor
Iran-e giye ebar ami
Khurbo shobar kobor
Aar baki shudhu North Korea
Bodmaisher dol,
Paromanobik ostro nei,
Tobu kore kolahol.
Supreme court hathher muthoi,
gotobarey korechhi churi,
Ebaar jodi vote-ta na dao, rashtropoti Kerry!
Eto kore bolchhi tomai, tao debena vote?
Patriot Act lagabo kajey,
Bhishon khabey chot
Ami achhi, Cheney achhen, aar achhen Ashcroft,
Dhorbo tomai, purbo jeley, na dile chompot.
.................................................
It's that time of the year again. Bound to rake up memories. Admission time. HS results just got declared and fresh school passouts are thronging colleges. Form'er jonno line. Huge queues harbouring the hopeful ambitious young minds of so many looking forward to the enchantment college life is supposed to mean. For me, I remember I was pretty distraught. I had given my IIT exams but wasn't hopeful at all. And i had a huge mind to study english hons. HS results weren't declared yet and so I was waiting for the Kolkata colleges to start their new session proceedings. And the intervening time was pretty worrisome. I had applied to St. Stephens and had tickets booked for Delhi for the interview. But then came the IIT wala letter. And bas, there went my english hons dreams.
Its also the time, i remember, of parting. Parting ways with friends who've been with you since you were a kid. School friends i'd still maintain- even after half my college life is over- are a special lot. The biggest difference regarding friends from school and college i've found is that of compatibility. In school almost everybody could be a friend. And a good friend at that. But in college i realized that not each and every guy i met i could agree with. In school you grew up together and in the same atmosphere. Right from when you were 6 till you were an adult at 18. But i guess, by the time you come to college you are all ready so different from a lot of people. There are basic differences in ideologies and ways of thinking. Stuff which totally depend on the surroundings you've grown up in. But then again i guess college life gives you the most memorable friendships. Its that taste of freedom. Its when you wake up in the morning and realize you don't have ma hollering at you to get ready for class. You take a walk in the inky darkness of perimeter road, totally drunk. It feels straight out of "The Higwayman"
"...The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor...".
And you fall flat in the middle of the road, look up at the starry sky and try an identify the constellations. And i am only half way through this party. Yay!
.................................................
Sunday evening i'm looking fwd to. Mostly coz IndiaMike Kol chapter has a meet up planned. And it'll be my first one. This is basically a travel forum started by this American guy. It's all about travel in India. The most amazing thing about it is that all the info here comes from the first hand experience of the members. Its like if you want information regarding a certain place you're travelling to, all you gotta do is post it in here and you'll have people who've been there answer specific questions. The database comprises real people. And thus you can get the BEST advise possible. Members are from India as well as people from around the world and the common passion shared is a love for India. Hope we last it out!!
.................................................
To quote a fellow IM'er about the movie Parineeta "...I've been looking at the movie's official web site, and it has lots of great photos of places and sights in Kolkata. Reading the site it really made want to have lived in High Society in Calcutta during the 1960s. They really make it sound romantic beyond reason, like Paris in the 1920s, or NYC in the 1950s." I hope the movie holds out, atleast justifies the looks. And yes Raima Sen looks gorgeous.
BHOY PEONA (Sayan Chakraborti; with apologies to Sukumar Ray)
Bhoy peona, bhoy peona
Election-e harbona
Jodio ami Kerry-r shongey
Debate korey parbona
Debate dekhe bujhle to bhai,
Mathhai amaar kichh-chhu nei
“Freedom is on the March”
Chhara nei kono je kothar khei.
Eto ashshaash dichhi tobu bolchho amai gaadha?
Lok thokiye kemon ami judhhe gelam Dada?
Niriho lok morlo boley, dosh dichho kake?
Collateral damage-er hisheb ki keu rakhe?
WMD paini ami,
Hoyechhey ki tatey?
Mithyabadi bolchho amai?
Lorbey amaar shathey?
Gnoaartumir shesh nei,
Ami Texas Cowboy,
Nijer bhulti korbo shikar?
Oto boka ami noi.
Ar ekti bar vote dao morey
Dao aro char bochhor
Iran-e giye ebar ami
Khurbo shobar kobor
Aar baki shudhu North Korea
Bodmaisher dol,
Paromanobik ostro nei,
Tobu kore kolahol.
Supreme court hathher muthoi,
gotobarey korechhi churi,
Ebaar jodi vote-ta na dao, rashtropoti Kerry!
Eto kore bolchhi tomai, tao debena vote?
Patriot Act lagabo kajey,
Bhishon khabey chot
Ami achhi, Cheney achhen, aar achhen Ashcroft,
Dhorbo tomai, purbo jeley, na dile chompot.
.................................................
It's that time of the year again. Bound to rake up memories. Admission time. HS results just got declared and fresh school passouts are thronging colleges. Form'er jonno line. Huge queues harbouring the hopeful ambitious young minds of so many looking forward to the enchantment college life is supposed to mean. For me, I remember I was pretty distraught. I had given my IIT exams but wasn't hopeful at all. And i had a huge mind to study english hons. HS results weren't declared yet and so I was waiting for the Kolkata colleges to start their new session proceedings. And the intervening time was pretty worrisome. I had applied to St. Stephens and had tickets booked for Delhi for the interview. But then came the IIT wala letter. And bas, there went my english hons dreams.
Its also the time, i remember, of parting. Parting ways with friends who've been with you since you were a kid. School friends i'd still maintain- even after half my college life is over- are a special lot. The biggest difference regarding friends from school and college i've found is that of compatibility. In school almost everybody could be a friend. And a good friend at that. But in college i realized that not each and every guy i met i could agree with. In school you grew up together and in the same atmosphere. Right from when you were 6 till you were an adult at 18. But i guess, by the time you come to college you are all ready so different from a lot of people. There are basic differences in ideologies and ways of thinking. Stuff which totally depend on the surroundings you've grown up in. But then again i guess college life gives you the most memorable friendships. Its that taste of freedom. Its when you wake up in the morning and realize you don't have ma hollering at you to get ready for class. You take a walk in the inky darkness of perimeter road, totally drunk. It feels straight out of "The Higwayman"
"...The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor...".
And you fall flat in the middle of the road, look up at the starry sky and try an identify the constellations. And i am only half way through this party. Yay!
.................................................
Sunday evening i'm looking fwd to. Mostly coz IndiaMike Kol chapter has a meet up planned. And it'll be my first one. This is basically a travel forum started by this American guy. It's all about travel in India. The most amazing thing about it is that all the info here comes from the first hand experience of the members. Its like if you want information regarding a certain place you're travelling to, all you gotta do is post it in here and you'll have people who've been there answer specific questions. The database comprises real people. And thus you can get the BEST advise possible. Members are from India as well as people from around the world and the common passion shared is a love for India. Hope we last it out!!
.................................................
To quote a fellow IM'er about the movie Parineeta "...I've been looking at the movie's official web site, and it has lots of great photos of places and sights in Kolkata. Reading the site it really made want to have lived in High Society in Calcutta during the 1960s. They really make it sound romantic beyond reason, like Paris in the 1920s, or NYC in the 1950s." I hope the movie holds out, atleast justifies the looks. And yes Raima Sen looks gorgeous.
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
hmmm...
Naah i really can't think of anything good or better, anyhting with which i may lay claim. Claim to my amateurish writing. Nothing to hold your attention tonight. Nothing which may bring a smile to your face (do i ever do that?). I have run out of steam and now i despair at my state of disrepair. Sorry if i dissapointed you. I was thinking of a poem. But i am bad at that. I feel safe in the refuge of prose.
My media player is playing a song by Collective Soul called "When The Water Falls". Its a troublesome song, it asks questions. Why are questions troublesome?? I don't know. Finished reading "Arms And The Man". It was a wonderful read and i realized that Bernard Shaw is someone i haven't explored at all.
.....................................
I'm one month down, with regards to my summer break. And till now i have passed time reading, sleeping, watching movies and doing what i love best: playing football in the para. I'm a decent footballer. Infact thats part of my claim to fame at IIT. I'm a left forward but i always makhao in front of the goal. There are a few things other than football (U2) about which i can talk like a man possessed. I can bore even the most patient listner and not even NOTICE.
.....................................
Of late i have been totally enamoured of Marco Polo. Yes and thats probably only half as crazy as i can be. I've been pondering over the whole thing and realized i was EXTREMELY interested in Central Asian History. Mostly ethnic history, anthropology. Did you know that theres a valley in North Pakistan called the Hunza valley, where the locals are supposed to be direct decendants of Alexander The Great! Theres even more. There are supposed to be small villages around Leh, in Ladakh that are so inaccessible that no one has ever visited them since probably the Aryans during 1700 B.C. (which is 3705 years ago!!). And the people in those villages are probably the purest ethnic specimens of any kind. They are the purest specimens of Aryans, unspoilt owing to millennia of inbreeding.
The inaccessibility has helped in the preservation of the culture and way of life as it was a few millennia back. I have this overpowering feeling that there still are pockets in those outrageously beautiful mountains where history has been preserved. Where time has stood still and nothing has changed. And i die a million deaths thinking about how it would be to visit such a place. How it would be to stumble upon such a piece of history? I wonder....
.......................................
Movies to watch at the theatre:
1) Bunty Aur Babli
2) Parineeta
I am a sucker for movies which have the Parineeta kind of look. Saif and Vidya Balan on the nouka in the middle of Ganga nadi with Howrah Bridge in the background. Its a killer scene. Then again the train wala scene, the steam engine spewing clean white smoke in the lush green jungle. Vidya Balan looks like the dream bangali bou.
.....................................
More about my silky long tresses later. I havent had a haircut since last pujo yay! And my chool looks even more rapchik!
My media player is playing a song by Collective Soul called "When The Water Falls". Its a troublesome song, it asks questions. Why are questions troublesome?? I don't know. Finished reading "Arms And The Man". It was a wonderful read and i realized that Bernard Shaw is someone i haven't explored at all.
.....................................
I'm one month down, with regards to my summer break. And till now i have passed time reading, sleeping, watching movies and doing what i love best: playing football in the para. I'm a decent footballer. Infact thats part of my claim to fame at IIT. I'm a left forward but i always makhao in front of the goal. There are a few things other than football (U2) about which i can talk like a man possessed. I can bore even the most patient listner and not even NOTICE.
.....................................
Of late i have been totally enamoured of Marco Polo. Yes and thats probably only half as crazy as i can be. I've been pondering over the whole thing and realized i was EXTREMELY interested in Central Asian History. Mostly ethnic history, anthropology. Did you know that theres a valley in North Pakistan called the Hunza valley, where the locals are supposed to be direct decendants of Alexander The Great! Theres even more. There are supposed to be small villages around Leh, in Ladakh that are so inaccessible that no one has ever visited them since probably the Aryans during 1700 B.C. (which is 3705 years ago!!). And the people in those villages are probably the purest ethnic specimens of any kind. They are the purest specimens of Aryans, unspoilt owing to millennia of inbreeding.
The inaccessibility has helped in the preservation of the culture and way of life as it was a few millennia back. I have this overpowering feeling that there still are pockets in those outrageously beautiful mountains where history has been preserved. Where time has stood still and nothing has changed. And i die a million deaths thinking about how it would be to visit such a place. How it would be to stumble upon such a piece of history? I wonder....
.......................................
Movies to watch at the theatre:
1) Bunty Aur Babli
2) Parineeta
I am a sucker for movies which have the Parineeta kind of look. Saif and Vidya Balan on the nouka in the middle of Ganga nadi with Howrah Bridge in the background. Its a killer scene. Then again the train wala scene, the steam engine spewing clean white smoke in the lush green jungle. Vidya Balan looks like the dream bangali bou.
.....................................
More about my silky long tresses later. I havent had a haircut since last pujo yay! And my chool looks even more rapchik!
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