The Bridal Look...

Welcome Back Friends....

I'm very exited as I compose this Post...really very exited!!!!

Recently I attended one of my Aunt's Marriage Ceremony,

And guess what,

I was to perform the very important role of "Neet-Kone"

(The Assistant to The Bride)

there....!!!!

A REAL "Neet-Kone"....!!!

My Gosh!!!

I still can't believe it really happened!!!

I wish all my friends were there with me...

Here, I share a few snaps with you all...

Tell me how I look in these photographs!!!

REVOLUTION 2020

So, “India’s paperback king” (according to The Guardians) has come out with his fifth—Revolution 2020—a novel about Love-Corruption-Ambition!

It’s indeed a long way for Chetan Bhagat, “A rockster of Indian publishing” (again, to quote The Times of India), since his first Five Point Someone back in 2004 to Revolution 2020 in 2011…definitely it’s a long way, considering he has “devoted his entire time to writing and make changes happen to the society”, surely he must have been considered himself to be a serious whole time Writer than he first decided to make the initial drafts of Five Point Someone.

Well, I am not a full time critic, I review Chetan’s Books mainly because I started to develop a zeal for his writings since I read his first novel Five Point Someone, but to my utter frustrations, Chetan started to disappoint me personally since then, including his latest.

Revolutions 2020 deals, as the subtitle indicates, with “Love, Corruption and Ambition”.

A few things have started to remain common with most of his novels since the massive success of his first one…there is a love plot personally told by the chief protagonist(s) directly to Chetan Bhagat, the writer, incorporated with a few social and economical and relatively current issue references that  has happened to the country in recent past.

Take consideration of One Night @ the Call Centre (2005) and The 3 Mistakes of My Life (2008)—where, in both the Stories, the Narrator or the Hero or the Chief Protagonist (what- ever you prefer to call it) disclose their own life Stories directly to Mr. Chetan Bhagat, well knowing that he is a famous and well read novelist! Chetan just jotted down their Stories never stopping to mention that he is the Chetan Bhagat!  

And, the same method is repeated even in Revolution 2020, where Gopal, the young Director of a Private Engineering College in Varanasi gives an account of his life-history and his frustrating tensed relationship with his childhood friends Raghav and Aarati to “Chetan-ji” (who has come to inaugurate the MBA coaching class in Gopal’s College) after being admitted to Hospital after a black-out due to some over-dose of Whiskey. Sound familiar, no? Well, here is a clue… Chetan’s earlier venture The 3 Mistakes of My Life had started in almost a similar fashion…! Can’t you think of some different approach of composing your stories now, Chetan?

And don’t you feel that you are rather being too much obsessed with your identity and always trying to make us remember forcefully that you are the Chetan Bhagat—“The Biggest-selling English-language novelist in Indian History” (well, to quote The New York Times this time!!) Well, Chetan, we all are quite aware that you are probably the most widely read novelist of recent India, but please stop teasing us with that statement all the times! Beating your own drums most of the times sound ridiculous…you know! And believe us, it’s embarrassing too!!

Surely there are a few burning issues like the Political Scams, No-Bribe-No-Work-Custom in almost every Government Sectors including Education System, Corruptions and people with guts to protest against all these mal-practices almost singlehandedly…but to be honest, they all seem loose-tagged and somewhat imposed!

In One-Liner Revolution 2020 is a novel, to be read once, and then forget all about it.

Oh! I almost forgot to mention, like all his earlier four novels Revolution 2020 too have a few passionate bed-scenes—a thing that has become a norm in all Chetan Bhagat novels!    

I’m really wondering friends whether I should e-mail a link of this Blog-Post to info@chetanbhagat.com, not because I didn’t feel pleasure enough reading his novels any longer; or not because I had some intentions of letting a successful novelist inform that he is writing crap these days….but ONLY because I believe from the core of my heart that the creator of Five Point Someone still has potential enough to amuse us once again with a few more masterpieces. May be, it’s just a change of style and a little brain-storming that he needs!

You have really increased our expectation levels Chaten, especially after your Five Point Someone! Please, don’t dishearten us with your next one.

  

Wireless PART: II

Part: II

Ani parked his bi-cycle before Kali-Da’s Stall a little after 8:30. I was waiting for nearly fifteen minutes, and was not in a very jovial mood. The evening went all wrong for me at tuition. I was totally absent minded during the entire class, thinking of the Wireless set and Priya; and off course of the endless possibilities the wireless set could offer to their lives. I got a few warnings for not being attentive to the lesson and also made some silly mistakes, but that was not the sole reason of my gloomy face….there was a cause more serious and depressing than that!

“Hi Dip! How long?”Ani thudded his bag on the table and asked. Just after a second’s pause he added: “Hey man, what happened?”….he definitely detected my glum face. “Oh! Nothing!” I was not in a mood to discuss the reason of my dejection… “Should we move, or you wanna have a tea?” Ani, looked straight into my eyes, waited for some moments and without specifying his choice offered me a small paper bag…“Have some, it might improve your mood”. “What’s that?” I noticed Ani was munching something. “Raam-Bura special”, Ani smiled, “with extra onion and lemon, your favourite.”!  “Wow! Thanks Yaar!” I can forget all my depression for that delicate mixture of salted nuts shaken to perfection by that old dove Raam-Da!

He was right. The mixture immediately worked on my mood and taste-buds! I felt better, certainly! “Two cups, Kali-Da” I shouted. Ani covered his neck tightly with his comforter; he was prone to coughs and cold, so always needed some extra lair of protection. The temperature had also come down a bit since afternoon, from our table I could see the five point junction of roads lying almost people-less.

“So, what do you think? You should make the wireless?”I asked. “I must, bro! There is no other word” Ani looked desperate. “But, what about the parts? Where should you get them? And the diagram? It’s weird looking one!” to me, a simple periscope diagram with two mirrors was difficult enough to understand, and that was diagram of a real Walkie-Talkie!  “Hum! Parts…!” for the first time Ani appeared to be a little hesitant… “Well, let’s see”!

We finished our cups without any further conversation. Ani was lost in some serious thought. He must be thinking of the availability of the components…I guessed. A thought, though a completely different one, also returned to my mind…and without delay switched me back to that depressive gear once again. “Come on, Dip, let’s get up” Ani proposed. I didn’t say anything, took my satchel and stood up.

“Which road to take?” he asked while we were unlocking our cycles, “Shortcut, or before Nilanjana’s house”? “Nilanjana” I was brief. Ani’s innocent question made me more depressed! We paddled silently side by side, and as we approached near Nilanjana’s residence I could no longer conceal the emotional turbulence that was eating me since the evening… “Why the hell can’t they publish a model that can cover a wider range? 1 or 2 kilometres perhaps” …. I was very sad!  Nilanjana’s house was almost 1.5 kilometres apart from mine, so there was no chance that I could use that damn wireless set to communicate with her!

“Hey! Wait a minute!”…Ani put a sudden break, stood erect and said: “so, that was the reason of your making a face like that”! It sounded more like a statement than an interrogation, so I didn’t answer, but smiled. Definitely I looked pathetic. Ani remorsefully patted my shoulder. His concern was no doubt genuine.

We departed near my house with the agreement to meet at Ani’s place next morning. Tomorrow would be a jam packed day for us, we had a lot to discuss about the raw-materials of our Wireless set…oops, I mean, Priya’s Wireless set! 

to be continued....

Wireless

Part: I

“Wow! Have you seen this, buddy! It’s amazing!! Simply fab!!!” Ani ecstatically stretched a magazine towards me pointing at something. We were at our usual afternoon resort—Kali Da’s Tea Stall— comfortably accommodated ourselves on our proprietary left corner table. There were only two of us present. Soumen, Subho, Papai and the others were yet to turn up and were expected any moment. It was almost 5:30 back in late 80’s and the winter evening was gradually making the streets of our small suburb town darker and darker.   

Resting my back on the damp ‘once-it-was-white’ wall I was earnestly trying to swallow the Kali Da Special tea. It was a stuff made with some extra spoonful of sugar that was boiling atleast since midday! Ani seemed to be less hard working than me, as he just gave a single sip and his facial expression said it all. He put the cup aside, pulled out a magazine from his back pack and concentrated into it.

My self-torture with the tea was somewhat disturbed by Ani’s sudden ecstasy; however I didn’t say anything but took the magazine from his hand and glanced at the article he was pointing. It was a popular science magazine for kids with some hardly digestible sci-fi s and other sort of trash.

“You discovered something amazing from this trash”? My surprise was in no way artificial. “Just read on dude! Article on page 58, if you please!” I noticed a very mysterious smile on my bosom friend’s face. Wait a sec, were his eyes that much bright and shining when we entered here…I guess not! There must be something on page 58, that had immediately turned him on…well, let’s check, I thought, and fixed my specs focused on the page.

There I met with my second shock!  Page 58 describes a step by step guide to make a wireless set….with some tough to realize diagrams and list of never-heard-before components. “Hey, what the hell is this, Ani?” I didn’t even try to conceal my antipathy mixed with anger… “Why are you trying to make a fool of me?” I had rights to be angry. Being a complete literature student I was not even sure what do a circuit board and capacitors and resistance means and more over, how to craft all those cranky little parts into a complete working model. But Ani went on with his inexplicable smile…and then raised his voice: “Kali-Da, two more hot waters please…and this time may be without sugar”….

I fixed my eyes again into the pages…hum… “Hand-Made, Battery-Powered, Low-Cost Wireless Set…that could cover 50-100 mts of distance…one transmitter and receiver integrated into both the sets…and off course you need not to ask for any permission for using those sets…” I just read aloud some printed information from that page…and Ani listened very carefully with that mysterious smile still lurking on his face.

Kali da’s little assistant served us two more cups. I picked up one, offered a small careful sip… “Well, it’s better than the earlier one”, I admired and looked at Ani. He was still fixed his eyes on me with that smile. “So? What do you think?” he whispered. “Think? Think what? There is nothing to think in that junk” my tone definitely sounded annoyed. “There is a lot to think, dude!”Ani lowered his voice even more and after a moment’s pause added: “It’s for Priya”!

“Priya! Priya? What the hell should Priya do with a wirele—” I suddenly put a hand break to my unfinished query…my eyes turned wide open…my jaw dropped… amazed, I again looked at the page… “Easy Wire-less Set” it read… slowly I raised my head, and Ani’s mysterious smile this time infected my face too!

“Hi guys!” Papai and Soumen entered to join us. I remained silent while Ani greeted them. “What has happened to Dip? He looks hypnotised!” Soumen asked. “Why are you smiling like a stupid? What’s so funny?”Papai jabbed directly to me.

“Well, you see guys; Dip is trying to make a scientific model” Ani winked at me and explained to others. “Dip? Scientific model? Are you crazy?” Papai looked traumatized …. “That guy can not draw a circle properly…will make a scientific model....what sort of model?”…Soumen snatched the magazine from my hand and declared: “Easy Wire-less Set”!

The following ten minutes they made a mess of my ‘self respect’ and ‘scientific knowledge’! I didn’t try to protest much, chiefly because their allegation against my understanding of scientific theories and mathematical problems were mostly unbiased, but more than that, in my mind I was toying with the idea of developing a wire-less set for Priya.

Ani and Priya’s case history always reminded me of the popular Kishore Kumar song: “Mere Samne Wali Khidki Mein Ek Chand Ka Tukra Rehta Hain”! Priya’s family was Ani’s opposide door neighbour. The two compounds were separated by a ten feet road, and from Ani’s top floor room he had a direct view of the window next to what Priya usually had her studies done. It’s needless to point out that most of the times Priya was found lifted her face upwards at a certain angle rather than keeping it lowered on her books!

Obviously Ani was not heart-less and cruel that far to wave off her interest. As a contrary, Ani appeared to be no less interested and was in constant pursuit of developing that innocent interest into some mature relationship. But informing Priya that he also cares became a major problem! Priya hardly came out of their compound and on rare occasions when she came out for a walk on the front road she was always accompanied by her ferocious looking mother!

Anyways, innovative Ani resolved that information-gap with his own inimitable style! One evening he  purchased an audio cassette of the super-hit Hindi movie “Maine Pyaar Kiya”, inserted the tape into slot, pointed the speakers towards Priya’s compound, turned the volume full and just started to play only the part  “I LOVE YOU” that was a prelude to a song in that movie!

Play—Pause—Rewind—Play—Pause—Rewind—Play….the cycle went on till 30 minutes after midnight and next morning Priya’s shy smile through her window clearly mentioned that Ani’s aching neck and fingers have not gone all fruitless!

In these circumstances, an easy to make wireless set would be a god gifted article for them, I thought. How fun and simplified would their communication be! One should be standing near her window and the other on his terrace, both engaged in a conversation military style: “Tiger…speaking Alfa….Tiger to Alfa….Nice dress Alfa…Ok…Tiger…Alfa to Tiger… Looking very handsome Tiger…Roger…and Out…”…Oh! How interesting! 

I woke up from my slumber as I discovered myself awkwardly being observed by my friends. “What?” I felt very irritated and all of them burst in laughter. Ani grabbed my hand and said: “Well guys, let’s get up. It’s almost 6:15, I have to attend the tuition”. When the others were busy calculating the share of the bill for the teas he came closer to me and asked: “You have English tuition today, no?” “Affirmative” I nodded. “Good, then wait for me here when it’s over, we will go home together”. That’s not unusual, we live at the same direction of the town, and normally go back home together after our evening tuitions. “Ok. I will” I came out of the stall and started cycling. I was already late for the class.

to be continued...

THE LAST VOYAGE: 1st SEPT- 2004

A Tribute To My Father's Seventh Death Anniversary 

We were ransacking all the possible places of our small native town for one Oxygen Cylinder all through the noon. The sky remained overcast just as it was since the day break, but fortunately no downpour was there to dampen our sprit of finding out one Oxygen Cylinder for my ailing father.

Sudip, my friend, was very compassionate and cooperative. He was also circling out the town with me to get me with one Cylinder that actually is not empty, and that actually works!

Finally, when the mid day sun was beginning to lean down towards the Western Horizon, we managed to discover one working Cylinder; and more over, one assistant to operate and control the Cylinder for the patient.

We hurried back home and the Cylinder was immediately attached to my Father, suffering from the most advanced stage of Carcinoma Pancreas. He was admitted to the local hospital for three or four days and now is released home as the condition is now way out of the reach of Medical Science….nothing could be done now to survive him back…except some temporary medical relief and prayer and waiting patiently for the ultimate moments to come.

The entire household…family members…relatives and neighbours…all were waiting patiently with mellowed heart and moist eyes.

All of them knew one thing for certain…but nobody knew the exact time…..

The certainty of the end of life was inevitable, but in the most uncertain and unsettled way. Everybody had only one question rattling in their minds….When…When…When…???

It came, sooner and smoother than we all expected it to come. The Oxygen Cylinder was hardly been used…and then….all on a sudden it lost all its relevance!

A 62 years vivacious journey through the paths of life came to a halt. And there lied my Father…calm and serene…my peacefully closed eyed dear. A faint smile was still lurking at his lips—may be to tell us that he is actually leaving with no pains and may be, his smile just indicated that he had already started to find some long departed friends in a place that he dwells now and that is far beyond the reach of our human knowledge and perception.

I was sitting at one dark corner of a neighbouring building…with some vacant look in my eyes…a complete looser by body language…sitting there I could hear the wailings in the house and the lamentation, but honestly, they were hardly having any effect on my heart and mind. Several times I tried my level best to cry out loud…but no drops came out of my utterly dry eyes…no wailing came out of my chocked and cracked throat.

Then came the time, my father had to accomplish his last long voyage to the Burning Ghat, may be that’s the official ritual to send a departed soul to its native place…the land he came from…the Utopia of all our Dreams…The Garden of Eden!

There he goes….resting on a bed of stacked wood…with coats of lubricants all over the ice cold body…..a little fuel and the sound of a match stick lightning…….

All he left is some thick black smoke and heaps of ashes…

And the rest…..

The rest is all memories….

Memories….Remembrances…..and a framed photograph that is slowly and silently turning to gray with the progress of time…. 

Photographing Queen Victoria...

Children are always very hard to aim and focus the camera at....

By the time you get the composition right...the smile on his/her face is gone.....

And then if somehow you manage to revive it back...the moment before you fully press the Shutter...they start to blink...

And the result is blurry image...or neat images with eyes closed!!!!

Well, here goes a few compositions of my DAUGHTER which, after vigorous attempts and several Deletes reach this point....

Definitely they are not the best ever possible...but possibly the best ever my lunatic patience can manage at one single go....

  

Open invitation to all my Photo-Enthusiastic- Friends...........

Come...See....and Write...so I can learn my flaws quickly! 

Typing Is Easy....

Hi Friends.....

No More Waiting...I'm Back....

:)

Recently I was real busy searching for some "undiscovered bugs" in MS OFFICE....

And see, what I got.....

Hi....Hi...Hi.....

Look Maa, I can type like a pro too....

And I was told that only Seniors can type!!!!!

Seniors are very good liars, you know.

ANUDIPTA...AGAIN...2

Hi, Friends,

This time I am back with some more photographs of me...

You know, in my opinion, we love our own face and our own photographs much more than anything else in this universe....isn't it?

Atleast, for me, this frank and straight-forward statement is 100% true...nothing exaggerated in it...

Lot of Introduction already...

Let us go straight to the photographs...

Well, I know that I am not posing with a very smiling face in these photographs....

but tell me guys, is this always mandatory to smile before the lens...

specially when your are dying for sleep after a full day's activities?????

I promise to greet you with some smiling face next time...

Till then...Have A Nice Time Folks!!!

Father

In my days of early youth

You always guided me to some place

Undiscovered,

That is yet to explore.

You always offered your hand

And took me through the territories…

Sometimes, tired, sitting by the side of road,

I was taught the basics of dos and don’ts.

You were there for me always…

And never left me alone,

Till I could rely on my own feet,

Before I have a life of my own….

Whenever I out-stretched my hand

Yours I found, supporting my side.

‘Tis a long time since I can not

Feel that Midas touch.

‘Tis long past now,

That I extended to explore the unknown and uncertain.

Look, my hand remains all empty…

All cold…

No one grabs it now…neither in pains,

Nor in pleasure.

Can you travel back Father,

For me,

For once,

And take me with you

To your place, I never know?

Where placing my head on your lap

Under that “green-wood tree” you taught me

I shall have a sleep…undisturbed,

Unending….

And then, if I arise out of slumber,

Should you hold my hand once again?

That together we shall explore the place

Like before, like infancy….

Auction

    Financially Fragile Parents Decide To Sale 

Their Incoming Baby 

For Three Lakhs 

Atleast.

News Report, Ananda Bazar Patrika, dtd. 9^th July’2011

The first word I’m supposed to utter

With a sense and meaning underlying

In this vast universe of uncertain menaces

Is you…Mother.

‘Tis you, on whom, I’m supposed to transfer

The unconditional faith of my infant heart.

Mother, I know none, but you…

None yet I recognize, but you…

Yet the thread is to be separated,

That remain uncut, undamaged yet

And stream the necessities between you and me.

Mother, I’m yet to inhale the first air of my own

And cry out loud.

Mother, I’m yet to see you,

Your face…

Your touch…

And all the affection is still to be felt.

Mother, it’s you who brought me to this world

Of colours and smell,

And it’s you who sales me out to the highest bidder.

See, there they come, and there they gather

A gang of bidders with pockets full of money,

To bid for a baby, yet to be born.

They come and gather round your womb,

The place I considered the safest,

They touch and feel the inside me…

And decide how much to spare.

I can clearly hear the sound of hammer strokes

Emphasizing my fate,

Listen, there it bangs…

One…Two…and Three…!!!

Congratulations, Mother!

Well, all is over for me now,

I am sold to the devil bidding most…!!

Holding A Hand

To A Friend, Very Precious, and Rare...

Her beautiful dark eyes looked even darker, as she lifted her face and allowed mine to contact.

Her face all gloomy…as if a terrible inner commotion is tearing her apart…

Softly she uttered my name….it hardly seemed more than whispering into my ears…

And then, she grabbed my arms…as strong as she can.

I sat beside her, on the naked floor of the little room, a bit secluded from the rest of the house, may be perfectly positioned to disclose off some painful secrets to a compassionate heart!

Again she spoke my name in whispers…this time her voice started to tremble…I realized the mellowed condition of her psychic structure…and felt soon the things should become more intense!

I enfolded her shivering body, that it furiously trying to put an emergency brake to its overwhelmed passion and emotional outburst…

But without much help…

She cried out bitterly….

I drew her closer to my heart and let her cry for a little…

She enfolded me, and this time, rubbing her face against my bosom, she cried out loud.

I didn’t say anything…though it was certainly the saddest visual of my life…

My friend, the most precious friend I ever could have, is all in tears…definitely something serious is troubling her…but I cannot offer anything to sooth her…neither do I know what is bothering her….

I felt so helpless…

So helpless I found myself in…

I offered a few occasions to figure out her pain points…she didn’t say anything, only went on weeping…

She was very close to me…very very close…I finally lifted her face…wiped out the traces of tears….and said: “look here I hold my hand towards you”.

She offered me a faint smile, that actually looked more like an artificial and hard-managed smile, but then, somehow managed to control her emotional down pour.

Some silent minutes began to count themselves into hours…we sat together…her head rested on my shoulder…my hands enfolding her…none of us tried to break the deep silence prevailed in that small room.

Then she stood up…looked straight into my eyes…smiled, this time it displayed much better than the earlier one, and said…“Thanks for being with me”…

I remained speechless….only in my mind I said….

“That is why friends are for ”…

I can spend the rest of my life wiping the tears from your face without a word…

The reason is simple…You called me A Friend, and I know that You should have done the same thing if I were in a mood like You….

After all, “Friendship is one soul, dwelling in two bodies”…..

I believe that.....and so does she.