Karo Poushmash

Sheetkaale dupur dutor somoy rode khunje pawata sottie oshadhyo kaj.

Amader baagan r pasher baagan theke rode shore geche onekkhon. Jedikei takai sudhu lomba lomba shaal gaachher lomba lomba chhaya. Onek koshte khunje-pete bairer dike rastar dhaare khanik rode pawa gelo. Lunch time e se boroi nistej hoye poreche. Taii soi. Ekmatha bhije jobjobe chul niye thanday thokthok korte korte rastar dhaare giye daralum.

Khanikkhon dariye dariye besh aaram lagte shuru koreche. Bhaater khidetao besh pachhe pachhe korche. Dariye dariye jhim dhore elo. Chokhta bujhtei mone holo palok hoye gechi. Charpashe sob fanka. Sudhu kaangulo besh khara hoye uthlo. Kaala bole amar bodnaam ache.

Ekta paakhi dakche. Trrr Trrr. Onek unchu te. Peechondiker kono gaacher mathay.

Amar baamdiker paasher quarter e ekta kichu bibaad ghoteche. "Bela duto beje gelo, ekhono chaan korte jawa nei!!"

Amar daandiker quarter e, mane amader paasher barite TV cholche. 'Big Boss'. Jeta ami ekhon radio-r moto shunchhi.

Ektu hawa dilo. Uff! Ki thanda!

Amar peechoner rasta diye ekta gari chole gelo. Awaaj shune mone holo four wheeler. Chhoto gari.

Abar besh chupchap. Sudhu paakhita dekei choleche. Trrrr Trrrr.

Paayer kaache ekta khoskhos shobdo. Bichchhinno.Sukno saalpaatar songe saalpatay thokathuki. Hoyto girgiti.

Besh thanda hawa dichhe. Rode ta sore geche. Amejta kete jawar agey ghore dhuke porte hobe. Chokhta khule dekhlam girgiti noy, foring. Chhotobelay khub foring dhortam. Bhari moja lagto.

Ekkhana aarmora bhenge ek chhute ghore. Soja leper tolay.

--- Past Comments since I don't want to lose them ---

 

Disgust!

I am tired.

I am tired of coming home at the end of a hectic day and hearing news of terrorist attacks.
I am tired of living in tension and fear; about worrying if my friends and family are alive.
I am tired of seeing the Unaffected remain indifferent and unperturbed.
I am tired of seeing the media harassing the Broken for reactions.
I am tired of announcements on compensations by the government.
I am tired of the rising prices of nearly every tangible thing around me.
I am tired of trying to make more and more and more money so that I can make both ends meet.
I am tired of the broken roads; of the rocky risky everyday journeys.
I am tired of the never-ending traffic jams.
I am tired of the heat, the sweat, the dust.
I am tired of doing jobs which add no value to my life.
I am tired of restraining myself to say "Fuck you".

I am tired of living in no hope.


--- Past Comments since I don't want to lose them ---

 

Ami Manush

Finally Friday!

Office theke eshe sei j body take felechi, ekhono uthte parini bichhana theke. Alo nibiye du khana fan chaliye chitpotang! Kolkatay ki osojjo gorom poreche. Sunlam ebare naki Borsha Madam derite dyakha deben. Sonay sohaga!

Mathar moddhe hajaro chinta protozoa-bacteriar moto nachanachi korche. Bari paltechi. Perek lagate hobe. Net lagate asbe. Cable er connection transfer korte hobe. Ekhane chithi daore. Oke khobor daore. Uff!

Hotat kore mone holo, benche achi to?

Buk e haath diye heart-take onubhob korar chesta korlam. Neito!!
Seki! Ami benche nei? Chaap kheye ektu norechore boshlam. Arekbaar khunjlam mon diye.

Naah! Ache. Khub kheen ekta dhukpuk dhukpuk.

 Benche achi jene khushi holum. Onekdin agekaar kotha mone porlo jokhon benche thakata aro joralo bhabe onubhob kortam.

Ekhon ki tahole jontro hoye jachi? Tai ki amar heartbeat ta eto kheen j nijei bujhte parchi na? Tai ki ekhon mathar moddhe ojosro chinta gulo quantam packet er moto alor phulki na mone hoye germs mone hoy?

Mathay aaj prochur ultopalta chinta. Kal sokale uthte hobe. Bajaar korte hobe. Onek kaaj.Bastob jeebon seisob onekdinkar light energy-r streaks gulo k black hole-er moto shushe nichhe protiniyoto.

Bohudin agey keu jeno bolechilo - "Ami jontro hoye jete chai".
Manush keno jontro hote chay? Manush jontro hoye gele, sob ki mile mishe ekakar hoye jabe? Tarpor amra live "Matrix" dekhbo. 

Ha ha!

Kee prochondo baje bokchi. Kintu ajkal baje boka hoy koi? Baje bokata jaate hariye na jay, sei jonne majhe majhe nijeke mone korate hoy - 

 "Ami Manush. Ami benche achi"!

Moral of the story

Okay..

So now that The Great Indian Dream has come true and all our ambitious selves are singing like larks, let's find out five minutes time from our celebrations and ponder what it is that led us to this great victory.


On the evening of 2nd April when the SriLankans beat our bowlers to a pulp, made a whopping score and when we lost two important wickets in quick succession, most of us were dead sure that we had already lost the game. There was plain defeat written on every body's face. That was what we were used to seeing. That was what we were expecting. The predictable.


What we never thought we would see was what came next. What Gambhir, Dhoni, Virat, Yuvraj showed us. They fought back. All these past 27 years, we have seen our team perform well, go to the finals and then  crumble down under pressure. All these past years, we had taken baby steps, proved that we had potential, but never mustered the courage to believe in ourselves and fight back. What Dhoni and his boys showed us on Saturday was something we always had hoped for, but never expected. Because we were used to accept whatever was offered to us.


Now, we have learnt a new lesson.

We demand what we want.
We fight for what we want.
We believe in ourselves.


So,
from now on, you demand your promotion from your boss because you have worked the hardest for it. You deserve it;
from now on, if the police inspector asks for money for verifying your passport, you don't give it;
from now on, if a random goon eve teases you in a crowded bus, you slap him and stop the bus to throw him out of the bus;
from now on, if illiterate 'Party Dadas' block the busy roads during peak office hours, you get down from your bus and give them a piece of your mind.

From now on, you fight back.


And the next time, if any Tom, Dick or Harry tells you that you cannot do what you know you can, show them your middle finger and walk away.

I bet there'll be very high chances that you win the next World Cup and you won't be waiting another 27 years.




--- Past Comments since I don't want to lose them ---

Not just a game

I wish I was in hostel at this very moment.Or at least in my office canteen.
It is so boring and pathetic to do all the celebration on the phone while jumping up and down on this solitary bed.


It is not the first time that India is winning a match. It is not the first time that India is going into the finals. But why is it that every time it is a win against Pakistan, we experience such extreme emotions?


After debating much whether to bunk office or not, I finally ran inspite of my injured foot and caught the office bus in time. At 2 o' clock when two of my colleagues and I grabbed three 'highly in-demand' chairs and settled down in the midst of a huge crowd in the office canteen, I credited  myself mentally in having made such a good decision.


Misters Prime Minister on the screen. A big round of applause.
The players of both teams walk into the field. Another big round of applause from the blue seas - both inside and outside the TV.
The Pakistan National Anthem. One man stands up. He is in blue jersey. Others wait patiently.
The Pakistan National Anthem ends. All rise up. Nowadays we don't get many chances to sing our National Anthem. Don't know why I feel so proud and emotional whenever I sing 'Jana Gana Mana'. It sounds to be the most melodious of all songs I have heard or sung.
Feeling very content and on a high dose of emotions, we are all set to go.


And then starts the Sehwag-Sachin blow-dry.
One four. A collective 'Wooooooooooo' and claps.
Another four. All up from their seats. Bang the tables.
One group yelling 'Four four four' before every delivery. And it becomes a four!!!!! Imagine the ruckus!
Sehwag is out. A collective 'Oooooooo'. This time without a 'W' and on a lower key.


My colleague Ms. B makes a comment here. "You sit to watch a match in a group and you will hear all forms of human voice modulation." Very observant.
My colleague Ms. G is a very far-sighted lady. She has brought supplies with her, knowing we'll start getting hungry very soon. In the meantime, we have tricked another person and occupied a fourth chair. For resting our feet of course! So there we were, half-lying on the chairs, with food and drink, cheering away to our hearts' content.
I love my office. And as the fours started pouring in and Sachin resurrected again and again, we all started loving Mr. Gul and Mr. K. Akmal.


More than two and a half hours gone. We are sitting tight. We took turns to freshen ourselves. Ms. B went last. Two consecutive wickets gone. Shites! That was the last time Ms. B could get up from her chair. We made her sit tight right there in the fear of losing wickets. What a torture! But then, at such times, even the most progressive becomes the most superstitious.


Sachin still batting. Somebody said, "If he's gonna make a 100, we'll lose".
My Mum called. I asked her who'll win. She said, "India". Her prediction became true the last time also.
We all started getting tired of Sachin's nine lives.
"Out Out Out Out". Now everybody wants him to go. A few who don't want so, glaring around at others.
Then we lose quite a few wickets. We don't know if we'll make a 200. We make it. It is 6 pm. We have a bus to catch. India is still batting. How'll we go? Damn!


The TV screen goes blank.
What? How? Who? There is an uproar. Some plug has got loosened. A quick fix is done. Aaah! We are back in time.
Now we have to wrench ourselves up from the chairs. As we head towards our floor, I hear an ardent Indian telling his buddy, "We'll go to this canteen, okay? The other one is jinxed."
As if wickets are falling only in the other canteen. Fans, I tell you!


There's a live telecast going on in another colleague's computer in the adjacent cubicle. And I thought I would miss the last over! India wraps up at 260 at 6:20 and we all rush to catch the bus.


One hour later, as I get down from the bus, there's a storm coming. I run to home as fast as I can with an injured foot. Ufff! I love rain! I reach home. There's no electricity. Goddamit! I hate rain!


Finally when electricity is restored and the intensity of the storm has died down, two wickets down. I switch on the TV. Eeekss! Lightning! I switch off. I switch on. I switch off. Damn! I switch on.


And after that.....'tis only la-la-land! Yeahhhhhhh!!!

Only one regret. I wish we were able to witness those beautiful sixes by an Indian batsman. But we had a worthy opponent nonetheless. Happy to see those lofty sixes and the beautiful reverse-sweeps.


And now that I cannot make my teeth go inside my mouth, shall I start getting a bit more greedy and ambitious and dream of THAT golden dream tonight?

Fingers crossed.


P.S. - One of my colleagues, Mr. D, had reflected one day, "Imagine if we have a cricket team that comprises of the best players of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Will anybody be able to defeat us?"

I wonder, "Shall I live to see that?"


--- Past Comments since I don't want to lose them ---

 

February

Laal, komola r kaalche neel-er teen te stor.
Eksonge mishe ache. Kothao halka, kothao gaahro.Kintu teen te rong-kei alada bhabe chena jachhe. Teen te rong-e eke-oporer songe mishe giyeo nijer nijer porichoy dhore rekheche.

Sondhya naamche.

Ami ek colleague-er garir bhetor. Office theke firchi. Bantola theke. Por por graamer moddhe diye chole geche picher raasta. Majhe majhe bhangachora. Aaj office theke ektu taratariy beriyechi.Aaj Saraswati Pujo. Jodio pujo-opujoy amar jeebonta bises paltay na, tobuo kaaj furole office e boshe thakte amar bheeshon apotti.

Onekdin por erokom unobstructed sondhya naama dekhe chokh ta juriye gelo. Kolkatay ashar por erokom shoubhaggo bises hoyni.
Pother dui dhaare sobuj khet, sobuj maath. Sokaalbela kheyal korle chokhe porbe sobuj patar moddhe sada phoolkopi r kheter dhaare laal shaaker border. Karo bagaane holud-laal-golapi-komola Dahlia eksonge bandha achhe - jaate phooler bhaare gaach ta na bhenge jay. Kono khete eksonge begun r surjomukhir chaas - ekta shaarite holud surjomukhi, ekta row te begun-ronga begun. Kothao Kothao por por pukur. Okhaane naki maachher chaas hoy. Du-teente pukurer common aaler opor karo ekta kunreghor. Paashe ekta paataheen gaach. Bosonter agomone hoyto ba ektu ektu paata asche. Oto duur theke chhutonto bus-er moddhe theke ghum chokhe jetuku dyakha jay. Puro chhobir moto. Sokaale konodini uthte parina. Kintu eisob dekhe mone hoy sokale othata bodhhoy sharthok hoy roj. Din ta jemon adhboja kurir moto aste aste paapri myale, amar montao jeno sei songe phoote othe. Koyek ghonta pore jokhon jeebonta full speed e dourobe, tokhon dinta kondike gorabe janina. Kintu sei muhurto-tuku jeno ekta bheeshon bhalo lagar somoy. Nishpaap, nishkolonko, obujh.

Ekhon kintu esober kichhui dyakha jachhe na bhalo kore. Ekta darun shaded canvas-er pote lomba lomba ondhokar, dhushor khejur gaachh, aro onek gaachh - jaader ekhon alada bhabe chena jachhe na. Sudhu nijeder oboyober chhaya fele dariye achhe. Prottekta daal, prottek ta pata ekhon aro bhalo bhabe fute uthechhe. Majhe majhe electric tower. Transmission lines chole geche ei tower theke oi tower e. Insulator gulo sundor bhabe sothik angle-e lagano. Sob miliye ek sundor chhobi. Speaking of Man's power, Man's progress, in perfect harmony with Nature.
Enke-benke raasta choleche prokritir book chire. Bari pherta graamer lokjon, engine lagano van riksha, ice-creamwala. Majhe majhe jomkalo saree pora kono grammo lolona. Saraswati pujor honour e. Kothao ekta speaker e gaan bajchhe. Pujo hoyeche hoyto kothao. Ekta gaachh ke dekhe mone holo polash futeche. Kaal sokale thik kore dekhte hobe. Bosonto chole eseche. Teen-chaar din agey raater belay season-er prothom kokiler daak sunlam. Tarpore aro du-ekbaar. Amader CD-parar kokiler moto golar jor becharader nei. Khub e komjori. Ektu dekei theme gelo. Boro shohorer sovvo kokil hoyto.

Raastay aaj traffic kom. Office-kachhari chhuti. Chhelera meyera besh haat dhoradhori kore rastay beriyeche. Saraswati Pujo Bangalir Valentine's Day. Eke bosonto, tay abar Kolkatay utsober onto nei. Book fair, concert, Saraswati Pujo, Valentine's Day. Kodin baade Holi-o chole asbe. Maajhe abar biyer season. Charpashe sudhu rong e rong, anondo e anondo. Premer bonya jeno. Mon emnii akul hoy. Amader moto ghorchhara prani-ra eisob dine akasher dike takiye ektu nissas feli, ghor theke phone ashe, kothay kothay chhotobelate phire jai. Sudhui nostalgia. Tarpor back to pavillion. School-e amader song book e ekta gaan chhilo. Gaan ta mone nei. Title mone achhe - "No man is an island". Kintu ekhon mone hoy eta kichhuta bhul. Amra sobai kothao na kothao ekta bichchhinno dweep-er moto. Somewhere every one of us is an island. Aajkalkar dine eta aro beshi jeno sotti bole mone hoy.

Dekhte dekhte Ajaynagar pouchhe gechi. Ekhane morer mathay ekta prokando gaachh achhe. Sekhane bohu pakhir basha. Bikel saare paanchta theke chhotar moddhe tara jokhon ghore phere, se ki tader kolorob! Eto, j kolkatar bhari bhari bus-er awajo  doobe jay. Amar khoob bhalo lagey pakhigulo jeetchhe dekhe.

Amar paasher barite Saraswati Pujo hoyeche. Oder building er sobai hoi-hoi kore khawa-dawa korlo. Majhe power-cut holo. Sobai eksonge gaan gaichilo sunlam -

"Tumi sukho jodi naahi pao/Jao sukhero sondhaane jao"...

 

Mone ekta bhalo lagar chhonya. Ektu jeno onnomonoshko. Bosonto elo. Sukh jeno haater nagale. 

A weekday - with a difference

Seldom a day comes when

• you don't have to attend the morning call because you have already informed your Team Lead that you'll be late to office due to an unearthly traffic jam exclusive only to Kolkata.
• you have to stand in a line of at least a hundred people to board the office bus and yet manage to get a window seat.
• you are able to enjoy the view during the journey to office because you don't have to worry about arriving in time.
• you complete work for the day in the first hour and don't have a clue what you'll do in the next eight hours.
• you discover that your oldest friend in the company is in morning shift, yet she will stay till late hours and also has no work. Means you'll have meaningful company for the rest of the day.
• you and your friend have lunch together, gossip, sit by the pool in the sun and reminisce good old days as a pleasant breeze caresses your face. Have a hearty and free laugh which makes both your hearts full.
• you come back to desk and discover that Facebook, Blogspot, Multiply and Gmail are opening all of a sudden without any restriction. Your heart skips a beat and jumps in joy at the prospect of tasting an illegal feast.
• you and your colleagues go out for a round of tea and have 'Chop' and gossip again and have a good laugh.
• your very good friend calls you up and both of you have a much needed heart-to-heart talk.
• you find time to read your friend's blog and come across some very touching posts which fill your eyes with tears and you have to take care that nobody sees them because you are in office.
• you want to post a comment in her blog but your account has expired. And then it gets revived at only one try!
• you have successfully written something in the midst of all this workplace hubbub and you'll now go to post it in your blog.

It is 5:00 pm now and anything can happen in the next one and a half hours. So far, it has been a happy day.

A Date with my Mom - Jan 22, 2011

The best part of a mother-daughter relationship is that as the daughter evolves into a woman, neither the mother nor the daughter ever has to fear the absence of a friend. Growing up under your mother's vigilance and eventually becoming her companion and co-sharer of secrets is simply lovely! And every time my Mum and I go on our "Only Women" outings, I realize this more and more.

An extremely irritating back pain and ten days of complete bed rest were just too much to handle. So my already "Sarfira dimaag" went crazier and in turn, I drove my Mom insane and we both went on a shopping spree this Saturday. 

Jumped into a taxi, went to Park Street and sashayed my way into an expensive boutique where I had already squandered a huge amount of hard-earned money earlier and now had to collect my things. The look on the face of my humble Mom was worth watching. But the only thing I could think of then was the long lecture due when we would get home.
We finished there quickly, jumped into another taxi (my back pain was now a good excuse for taxi rides), circled the same route since it was a one-way and reached Vardhaan Market. Jewellery time now. The first thing I do when I get into a shop where I know it's going to take a long time, is that, ask for stools to sit. So after we both comfortably seated ourselves, I started my 'matching' jewellery hunting.
"Dada, Ota parun to!" (Show me that one)
"Dada, eta theek match korche na. Green pathor ta beshi matte finish. Laal ta beshi bright!"
(This isn't matching. The green stone is not that bright. The red one is too bright)

And this went on and on. After almost one and a half hours, even the shopkeepers looked like they wanted me out of their shop. So finally when I managed to decide on a set, I started giving a vivid description of what needs to be replaced, what added, which stone should not be there, which red stone should be there, which green and red stones need to be alternately placed, etc etc etc. I bet I'll have to visit their shop minimum five times more to get all things exactly the way I want.
My poor Mum remained silent throughout, only nodding her head in agreement at the last and giving the final seal.

So after that, wandering aimlessly in a few more jewellery shops, trying out payals, earrings and ultimately buying nothing more, we came out in the open air.
Aaahhh!! What a relief! At least for my Mom who was already looking very tired with all the hassling. So as a gesture of apology, I gave her a treat with Tikiya Chhole Masala! And yummy as it was, it uplifted her mood!

Jumped into another taxi and headed for Gariahat. Now we had to buy dress material and hunt for a "Bina nakrewala" good tailor. The taxi finally dropped us at Rashbehari because I had changed my mind several times while in the cab and the last decision that I took was to try my luck at a boutique at Rashbehari. Again an hour of fake smiles, sweet talking, buttering, discussing dress material and designs, choosing, getting confused, coming to a tentative decision, paying a huge bill and coming out with a huge smile on my face which actually was a shield from the frowns on my Mum's face!
Durgapur has spoilt her so much that she finds everything too expensive here and not worth spending so much money. And I agree with her.

5.30 pm in the evening and we still haven't finished. Next we bought a wedding gift - finished off quickly as we both wanted to drop. May be this was the first time that my Mum and I agreed on something without going into an argument. And then we had a "Bhaand" (small cup made of mud) of tea and decided to call it a day.

Started walking towards the auto stand along the footpath and a long walk it was! And I got stuck on the way at the flower shop. I had to! Somehow I can never get past a flower shop or a book shop without buying something from there. Bargained with the flower-seller and bought a bunch of yellow and pink Chrysanthemums. 
 

Next as we were going past the soft toy shop, I blurted out to my Mum - " I want one!" And she stopped right there and asked - "Which One?" Surprised, that I was! Every girl loves soft toys, especially Teddy Bears; but I had outgrown them long ago. My parents had never bought me one. They always bought me dolls. And after I learnt to make soft toys, somehow the fascination had just worn out. So when I saw my Mum so excited in buying me a Teddy and that too the largest one, I just stared at her with a wide mouth. And the roles reversed instantly.

"No Maa. I don't want a Teddy. I don't like Teddies! You shouldn't spend so much money on a mere Teddy!! This is so foolish! Outright childish!" - There stood the daughter lecturing the mother on how to save money!
But alas! All the discourses went waste. It took only the innocent face of a cute doggy and the childish zeal and smile on my Mum's face to change the mind of an already spendthrift daughter.

 

 So finally when my Mum and I boarded the auto, we had three huge packets, one large size dog, a huge bunch of flowers, not to forget our respective vanity bags, some fruits which we had bought in the meantime somewhere and when I can't remember now, and an ear-to-ear grin on each face and lots of satisfaction on a day and money well spent!!

Huff!!! That was quite a day!!

--- Past Comments since I don't want to lose them ---