There's something about Rahul.....

He is awesome! And I have been saying this eversince I have seen him.

Well, where? Where else? Onscreen, of course.

Way back as a school girl, on that late-night serial in English which was one of the first English program on Indian Television (read: Doordarshan). And then more prolifically on bigscreen and I guess I have seen him from distance in some event. And I am yet to meet him....

I know what you will say, and I am gonna agree to that. I am crazy for him and its like hero-worshipping this man from Kolkata err Mumbai.

And suddenly I am all so gung-ho about him after his latest offering 'Anuranan'. If I could say, I was salivating with my eyes. His performance was awesome and he so effortlessly went into the skin of an understanding husband, a terrific human being.

Are 'you' really like that off-screen?

I have a feeling you are...dont know why...I gather that feeling from 'Mr and Mrs Iyer', 15 Park Avenue' and Chameli.. Why always I feel so moved every time I watch you onscreen, I wonder whether its to do you or your work or the content of the movie?? I ask why, I feel so very connected deep inside me whenever I set my eyes on you onscreen???

I dont know I could ever meet with him and chat with him and be friends with him...but the woman in me surely loves the Rahul on-screen.

Here's wishing you all the best for life. And I am wishing me luck (dont ask me...wont tell you)!!

And here is a crazy thought: who knows...may be 'you' are reading it....

Would love to meet you in person and talk, discuss and see the real 'you'...

Note for readers: Dont pass it off as some work done under influence, its real and I am all awake, sober, happy-giggly and completely in love with.... And with the load of grey matter I have up there I dont have to churn out 'brainy' stuff all the while. And most importantly, I have all the right to say what I feel...even if that means telling, I love Rahul, I mean Rahul Bose!! At least, it makes sense...And here's this one for one and only: Rahul Bose. Cheers!!

Resonance

“As we pass through the numerous crossroads of life we come

across many who accompany us in this journey of myriad

experiences. Underlying this is a resonance, a chord

which strikes between two people.” Anuranan, Circa 2007

It was a letter, a hand written one with a portrait- a la-Titanic style. And he was trying to make sense taking examples from life’s jigsaw puzzle. Like with a piece in jigsaw many other pieces can be tried but there is just one unique combination that makes it perfect. And before that perfect picture is obtained many combinations can be tried and these are worthwhile. These makes the ‘piece’ more experienced. And there he tells 'her' that not every relation has to have a name.

Such is life. When memories turn olden they become meaningful.

It was when he was zipping through those mustard fields driving that Merc, 'she' was transported to a different place with 'her' eyes glued on the 70mm. Memories of mustard fields from the land of Vikings came alive. But 'she' did wake up at the sight of Big Ben and did realize that was London and he was zipping through the lovely country side of London.

Eto anuranon kano? 'She' asks herself.

The father comes looking for his daughter as she has just moved to the city after staying away for so long and he looks for her and her husband. And he calls for him. 'She' was surprised as that reminded her of a name.

Eto anuranan kano? 'She' asks herself.

While still in front of the 70mm 'her' mind was taking wandering trail through different timezones, different landscapes, different space and time and 'she' did find herself asking:


"Koto anuranan, koto spondon
Koto jigyasha, koto bhalobasha
Somoy egiye jaye, jibon kete jaaye
S(m)riti aar bis(m)riti hoye jaaye ekakar
Ei jibon e koto anuronon, koto spondon" (copyright-Solna)

Fijian Delight

Its so beautiful, so awesomely beautiful. It has to be seen to be believed. He told her. And she nodded in agreement.

Golden Moments

Its a lovely wintry evening and she is heading for some cozy time. It was a busy day and she has been criss crossing the town from the early morning. And something cropped up in her mind and she remembered.....

And the very next moment she finds herself infront of a florist's shop busy selecting flowers...err red roses for a bouquet she wants to make.

A bouquet of red roses: a bouquet which is so precious, an emotional statement, a symbol signifying deep love. She goes around the shop and picks up the best of the bunch. And she instructs the florist as he gathers all the sticks for a nice bouquet.

She gets the bouquet and she heads straight for the occassion.

Its late in the night and she is still up. She is happy and she is wearing that enchanting smile. O'lala a...and after a hearty meal she goes to bed happily admiring the everlasting bond playing with her unruly locks which is shining with some silver lining...and she hums the 'everlasting....

On her bed, in her cozy room she is admiring the love, the bond the old couple has been sharing for so long. A life full of togetherness in all the twists and turns life has taken. She is mersmerized in her thoughts as she admires the old couple she shares her life and soul with. The same couple who brought her on this earth.

Bon Anniversaire!! Love you for everything my old couple...

Nostalgic Hallucination

It’s been a week now- seven long days since she had sore throat; seven days since she had flu. It has been seven days she has been asking why life presents such occasions.

It’s been seven days since she saw him last. She saw him from distance in that foggy morning; she found him standing just in front of her office. Yes, it was him, so unmistakably him! And it’s been seven years since she first saw him.

And it’s been seven days she is living in daze (this has nothing to do with foggy mornings, though!).

She thinks aloud in the middle of a busy day in her new office space, a dark (read no sunlight) room which she turned into a lovely work-station (thanks to her sense of harmony and creative ideas) which is doing rounds in her office building (that landmark building everyone wants to get into) and making a few colleagues to land up for inspection (or for inspiration, who knows?). And in her new husky voice (thanks to that recent flu she had) she ponders (as she discusses with another friend) whether finding him at her office gate was a coincidence or part of some plan. And more she thinks about it more surprised she gets.

Her mind laden in nostalgia and emotion takes her to the time when she would plan a rendezvous with him when one such was unthinkable and she would silently long for a meeting. And now, when a surprise meeting is taking place there is no splash of emotion…how things change, how we change….And she pinches herself.

Yes, you can’t act here, there are certain things which are spontaneous and they cannot be forced upon. There are certain things which are mutual and cannot be felt otherwise. And there are times one just forgets to respond. And she learnt that a week ago in that foggy morning in front of that pathway strewn with lilies and tulips.

Frozen mind and foggy vision.

It’s been seven days since. Seven days. Seven is such a mysterious number, oops…

reNEWal

A new year has begun and this has been really a new year for her already. So many "new" things has rolled into her life.... and most importantly, a new SHE!

This is no surprise, a renewal was long overdue and she is happy to undergo a transformation: in mind, body and soul..well...no comments on the last! Not in a position to comment. She knows for sure her body is behaving in a 'new' fashion as every time she walks like a child (read...running while walking) her bones tell her to 'walk like a lady'!
Well, age is catching up...Is it?? Her mind does not seem to agree to what her body tries to tell. And still she goes on talking all gibberish like a teenager when she meets her group of friends. She talks non-stop and does not mind even if she is labeled 'the most talkative'. She does not feel embarrassed as she does not take her age seriously and still goes on the way she used to be in her tunics.
Here she remembers what she was told by an old friend when they connected on the New Year: "Oh, you are still the same, same old madcap. And you still giggle non-stop. Don’t feel bad if people think its funny. Don’t change yourself." And she thinks for a while and tears roll down her eyes, big, bright eyes.

May be, its time to CHANGE- Änderung-Changement- and call for a reNEWal.

Change is the name of the game and this is the reality of life.

PHYPA WEN RYEA!

It has been a hectic month and I could not really spend much time with my blogspot for a while now. But what I can gather looking at the calendar that this would very well be the last post I would be writing this year unless I have a change of heart before midnight and write another. But, it seems unlikely as I am running late already for, first, a birthday party and then the New Year eve party and I don’t take things for granted when it comes to dressing up for an occasion, you see!

So here's wishing a brand new year, a very successful and bright, a very fulfilling and satisfying year for all of you. Wishing peace and prosperity; joy and happiness; smiling faces and laughter; strength in the tiring times; and will power to stay put when things look gloomy and dark. And much more of 'me-time' and lotsa time to discover yourself to know the real 'YOU'.

And here I remember a saying which is so very meaningful to me: 'Success is a journey not a destination' and similarly I put it for life: its a journey, its about growth and the name of the game is to go on and not stop as its more than just reaching a destination.

Let’s say cheers to the New Year as we pop the bubbly.........PHYPA WEN RYEA!!!!! Hic hic....that’s all jumbled up as I try to say ....(may be I am already drunk)....HNY!

Saying Goodbye!

Just the other day I was discussing ‘this’ when I and a friend (the most down to earth guy I know for all his successes) decided to catch a movie to treat our eyes after treating ourselves leisurely over a lunch and some Australian wine.

That was a luxury for me. First I was at home all by myself and not traveling. And then it was a Sunday, a nice wintry December Sunday afternoon. And then the movie was a true blue bollywood blockbuster and a chartbuster of the season.

While we were casually chatting about the directorial lapses, and exchanging some such critical bytes after the movie we did touch upon the changing cityscape. How this city is transforming day by day which is almost like desperately going under plastic surgeon’s knives. And how multiplexes are becoming a big time favorite with the common people and the businessmen and the people in power alike. And how old cinema halls are standing like a sore point in this oh-so perfect hairline…err…cityscape.

As if someone heard us talking about it and lo and behold…almost in a few days I read an announcement with a heavy heart that this much loved movie hall, a classy address would soon go under the bulldozers to make one of those huge malls with multiplexes. One of those places where you don’t have to plan for a movie as one of those would anyway be showing what you want to watch just when one is in the mood. These days multiplexes are giving such options that planning for a movie sounds oh-so old-fashioned! Life is becoming oh-so convenient!

Chanakya theatre would not be there in future. The name which is synonymous with movie outings from childhood. It also meant good momos any time of the year. And it meant a convenient landmark where people from different parts of the city could gather when we plan re-unions and catch a movie over some yummy kebabs and entertaining bytes from friends. A lot of nostalgia of those idyllic moments spent would be bulldozed along with the movie hall.

For me at this point, it’s an end of a nice hang-out spot. And its end of a year as well which brought much changes and new beginnings. Hope Chanakya also gets a new beginning in future.

And I thank my friend for mentioning about a movie that Sunday while I was happily sipping that exotic variant from Oz or else I would have missed an opportunity to catch a movie at Chanakya one last time. Do I really have enough time to catch another before it shuts down for ever, may be Will Smith’s latest…err I am legend, what do you think?

Speak Up!

Speak up. Say it loud and clear. It helps.

It helps as it does not keep a residue within your mind and you don’t get to hold your grudges for long. It helps as the other gets to understand your point of view and indirectly helps you resolving the matter, if that is so. Or otherwise it gives you an idea what to do next. It helps a great deal.

This is about one of my friends, a female whom I had met many moons ago at work and became friends, became almost like a family. And she would always be loving and polite and would take me as I am without any offence. She would never feel bad when I would correct her or for that matter advise her or rebuke her. I knew she likes me for my point of view and for my clarity. And this way I had become part of many discussions and her family.

But I used to get troubled at times as much of the times she would not mind my blunt ways. I had uneasy moments after commenting harshly sometimes which would make me think for sometime but I still spoke my mind all the time knowing how close we are.

But I do not have to feel bad again. She spoke up.

I am happy that she spoke up. She said the way her mind told her and she did not bother to think how I would feel. Somewhere it was not a good feeling but at a different level I felt she is no more that meek and indecisive person any more. And somewhere I felt good as now I don’t have to tell her the way I think about things she does and now she knows and she would not ask another for decision. I will feel less guilty after I speak my mind.

Well, I will remain the way I am anyway, some things just don’t change! Except one thing- my admiration for her. Now I admire her more than before.

Hey ‘you’, thanks for that verbal ‘deuce’ you lobbed at my court the other day, honestly it felt good. It’s good to be open and say things the way it is and I like it this way!
And it’s good to see some changes at least. And you scored a point there!

Will you find HappYness?

I am a morning person and I am at my creative best when its sunrise time and I am at my productive best in the morning. And today was no different and I had to put an imaginary lid on the pot where all the thoughts were brewing for my next blog, for the recipe I would try tonight, the dress I would wear over the weekend when I attend that reception and things like that.
And then there were influences all around, we humans are just like blotting papers at soaking up ideas, moods, and vibes; only difference being we can regulate our selection unlike a sheet of blotting paper which without failure would soak anything it is thrown on!

Well, to tell you the gist there were a good number of influences around me this morning which triggered my thinking process on this blog, and it was at that time when the daily planner at my desk was flashing a colorful collage!

First it was Will Smith, (this man is surely addictive) and then the film called The Pursuit of Happyness and then that sudden encounter with that bitchy colleague of mine, and the group discussion at work as we are planning to relocate our office space and then….well, that’s something within my mind which got into that ‘deep thinking’ mode!

And I was thinking how tough it is to be humble and be genuine about it.

In this competitive world its difficult to scarf insecurities and often the inner bitch peeps out and we transmit a vibe unknowingly. I feel it’s a great quality to be humble when you are sitting at the highest rung of that ladder. And only those could flash it genuinely who have reached there after traveling rough patches in life. It shows through your eyes, through your actions, voice AND you can’t act there.

We all are running in this game of life, whatever is our goal, however successful we are, wherever on the ladder we are placed. Running is the name of the game. And we do it, its habit, you know it or not.

And there I read this: "I couldn't tell you that we were homeless, I just knew that we were always having to go. So, if anything, I remember us just moving, always moving". That’s what Chris Gardner tells when asked about his life on which the film is based played by Will Smith.

Wish we knew its just so for everyone: YOU, I and everyone, may be it’s a different track, on a different lane. So gear up, on your mark…GET-SET...and Goooooooooo

Tall Black and Sexy

Aren’t these sexy? Umm…I like them pointed, I like them black and I like them when they are real sleek. And I have many of them. Well, I am talking about my love for stilettos (this is so girlie for a tomboy).

And as I stay put on the bed recuperating from, what a very nice doctor diagnosed as, soft tissue injury at lower back, I was reading/discussing more on lower back injury and things to do etc. And there I heard from a colleague about working out on stilettos are gaining ground in Manhattan and such places. I was wondering what went wrong when I tried to run…err walk a li’l too faster on my sexy stilettos last weekend. Now you know why I had to spend much of my weekend on my back…oops, it still hurts.

Learn to walk like a lady, if you can…umm, I am telling myself as my mum told me over phone!

be the man..err CHANGE

I was away from my sweety for sometime now, was busy teasing my brain..err I was at work and it’s a demanding field you see! But I am in so much love with my blogspot that I had to be back and make my presence felt!!

I was part of a round table discussion to discuss what policies can inspire more men to end gender-based violence globally and more essentially in South East Asia. And there I came across a few lines which truly moved me:

be the man who says NO to Violence Against Women
be the man who Stands for Equality
be the man who Breaks the Silence
be the man who Cares

And I wonder how many (MAN) would truly answer in affirmative in this so called progressive era. And I ask: Are you man enough?

Well, don’t have to answer me…think for yourself .

November Quotes

Its December already! And I have to go on a vacation.

One more year is going to pass. And for some reasons December has always been associated with parties, get-togethers for me, not only because of usual Christmas-New Year eve fest-ing and feasting but also because of my tenures in different places had mostly ended in December. But this year I have seen more number of farewells in November; farewells of my colleagues from various offices across the globe. And that was quite a number.

And I am a sucker of good time, good food and good words.

I flaunted some of my beautiful dresses and got compliments (they are actually for my designer friend).I ate some nice food, got to know some recipes and gained some flab. I drank some bubbly and felt nice. I listened to those speeches and I saved two quotes for my blog post.

The first one is what Confucius once heard saying "Our greatest glory consists not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall" .

And the second is an Irish saying "May the road rise to meet you, may the wind be at your back, may the sun shine warmly on your face, the rain fall gently on your fields and may a kind and just God hold you in the palm of his hand until we meet again".

May you all have a nice time in the forthcoming festive season as I plan to go on a vacation.

And I am done with this one for the moment; need to catch some sleep after painting the town red…..oops, in my red dress.

Oops, I am still short of one blog from hitting a half-century..whats happening in the gardens of Eden?

Quote-Unquote

"It takes a long time to become young." - Pablo Picasso

Shaken and Stirred

I wake up on time every morning, I seldom oversleep and most often this habit is appreciated (oops...I am at it again and when I was just told that I should be officially given a title for being the bestest narcissist in the world!).
And I still wake up on time, with my alarm, all the time, every time, tired or not, drunk or otherwise, at home or ….

Anyway, today I woke up before my alarm, before it could say Goodmorning, before I could hear that familiar sound. I did wake up earlier than my usual time, before it was the daybreak for me.

I did wake up with a sound, not usual sound though. It was with a roaring sound as if my little world was rocking as if someone is saying ‘rock baby rock’…umm, that’s not a dream. I woke up with a rocking beat this morning as we rocked with an earthquake.

For past few weeks I have been coming face to face with the fragile aspect of life, the non-permanent face of life. And this little shake called earthquake suddenly brings alive the fear of loss. And sitting on my bed, half-awake (don’t you know it was before my alarm was to sing?) I was thinking which ‘one thing’ to grab before dashing off from my apartment. We crave for so much in life and when it is the time to leave do we really get to take along what we accumulate?
And on my way to work I do ask this question to my chauffeur and he said that he would simply get himself out of the building in case earthquake makes his little world crumble. And at work I do ask the same question to my colleagues, and they just talked about saving their own lives and the lives of their near and dear ones.

Well, it’s kind of strange in this materialistic world. And I still don’t know what I will grab if I am stuck in a similar situation again. May be my phone. And my laptop. Ahhh…how can I run them without electricity after batteries run out?

What is more important to you, your life or all the accessories you accumulate to lead life?

I don’t fear losing all my data on my computer (I have lost my laptop before!). I don’t fear losing my little place, which I painstakingly adorned with things I collected from all over, from all the trips I undertake. I am not afraid of losing my life, do I really? I almost died a few years ago!
But I fear most is being cut off from my people. And I fear the most when I am away from them and in no way to communicate to my fabulously mobile set of family, when someone is happily soaking all the Sun in that bond island and when the other set is treating themselves to a royal dose of vacationing and when I almost forget my geographical locations with my ‘today here-tomorrow there’ mode of life.

And suddenly I feel the meaning of ‘shaken and stirred’ without even budging from my position on the bed! Ooops….

Quote- Unquote

"You can never plan the future by the past." - Edmund Burke

Where do I go?

My mornings are not brighter these days...well, literally!

I wake up when its still dark, not night though but thats how wintry mornings are and I yawn sitting on my cosy bed in my dimly lit room, Good morning! Its day already!
Sun is playing hide-n-seek with clouds err fog, err .. smogs! And I wake up when its still dark. Its still not day!

And still I cant start the day...I mean, I dont feel fresh, I dont feel lively, I dont feel energized...oops, as if I am run on sloar batteries!!!

And some smog within my head covers my mind and I am at sea with questions. Questions which are so many. Questions which are multiplying. Questions which are recurring. Questioning mind!

And its like: where do I go?

Have you ever felt when you know you are an adult and there is no one to take decision for you? When you know you have grown up and people expect you to follow your own path? When you know there is no one to share your daily stories, no one to crib with about your colleagues when you reach home? When you know people around expect you to handle things on your own? When people dont show you direction when life suddenly makes you stand at the cross-roads?

Is this part of growing up? Really big? Or that one is lonely and nowhere to go?

I am living with an emotion, an emotion when you lose your parents. Thats what I witnessed THREE times last fortnight. Yes, THREE. And I am touched.

As one of my friend puts it: its inevitable, and its part of life. Yes, its life that teaches us from such examples that nothing remians for long. Nothing. Not you. Not I. Nobody.

And I still ask a question, in mourning: where do I go? I cant see a thing, its so hazy with smog...

Double meaning?

In this time of ours acronyms are very popular and we use them whenever we get a chance. Its in vogue, its fashionable and its popular and everyone is doing it! But think of times when same acronyms could stand for two completely different set of terms with opposite meanings!

I just came across one such this morning and that reminded me of another from past. Sample them:

CSW: From my area of work its always been expanded to "Commercial Sex Worker" until I got an entirely different term when this conference reminder landed at my desk. It could also be expanded to " Commission for Status of Women". Huh?

ISP: Its mostly "Internet Service Provider" in this tech-savvy, net-savvy generation of ours. But it also stands for "Informal Service Provider" when one tries to adhere to jargons used in development sector especially The World Bank's health systems reform sector.
And you wonder what internet provider has to do with those 'witch-doctors' from those tribal villages? Yeah...

There are many such..but this is enough a 'dose' to satiate my addiction with this blogspot.

Wow, talking about addiction brought forward another interesting acronym which often gets wrongly 'inserted' with this 'injecting' types.

IDU: its "Injecting Drug User" and then there is IUD: which is "Intra Uterine Device"! Hmmm...

I will come back with more on this series but later on....

Googl(e)Y!

Got a bouncer..err want to get the meaning of something you just heard, or read or came across? Need to research on something? Search?

Well…the common practice is to look for a search engine…no real engine there, though! For the initiated its our regular lingo and a regular habit and we often don’t even say ‘serach engine’ and straight get into ‘google-ing’.

Today’s story is about our man Friday ‘Google’ who had rescued many of us at the 11th hour to get what we just needed and saved our days and made us hear all those praises and see all those rainbows…(oops…why always I talk about Sun, rain and rainbows..may be I just need to know..err ‘google it’) for all the hard work or ‘herd’ work of the google team.

Google was co-founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin while they were students at Stanford University and the company was first incorporated as a private enterprise on September 7, 1998 (wow, September again..and have you noticed the date?).

The name "Google" originated from a misspelling of "googol", which refers to 10100 (the number represented by a 1 followed by one-hundred zeros). Credit for naming this huge enterprise should go to their first client who, according to ‘my very reliable source of information’, spelt it that way on the cheque for their very first payment. And just to avoid all the hassles of getting back to their client and get it corrected they opened an account going with the mis-spelt version and Googol became Google!

And it remained so. So what, if it did not mean anything?

They say things change: and now google itself is a word and finds its place in diactionaries (Merriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary and the Oxford English Dictionary) in 2006. And it has been increasingly into everyday language, the verb "google", was added to the meaning "to use the Google search engine to obtain information on the Internet."

And we say, lets Google!

Sands and Moods: T(w)oo different!

P.S: These are some of the pictures I have recently seen and I felt how sand from the desert and that by the shore exude different moods. None of these are taken by me nor my camera was used. These are from two different sources ..err friends from two different locations from their two different travelogues.

Hey you two, I acknowledged your work, so dont take me to the courts (in two different locations...ha ha ha...ahha...I would get to see two different places that way!) .