Remembering...

Funny how an old song suddenly opens up old, forgotten, shoved-into-the-memory-attic bunch of memories. Incidents from the past suddenly all come out and they seem so vivid that they seem to be happening to you right then and there.

Have a good weekend.

Shed off....

Is it possible to totally shed off all prejudices?

Today while coming to office with my dad, he made a comment which got me thinking about this. Leave everyone, can I shed off all biases and be totally fair and impertial in my beliefs????

Can anyone be like this?

Take a ride...

While coming to office today, I was suddenly filled with longing to board a bus and just go where the bus takes me. I know boarding a bus during peak office rush hours and travelling in the crowd is hardly a thrilling idea. But guys can we just ignore the practicality of it and just board a bus. Imagine how much fun it would be. For starters I do not have to go to office, sit in front of my computer and start work. Secondly no Monday blues would hit me. Thridly I get to see the sights of Kolkata. If I were doing this in Kolkata which bus would I be taking? Hmmmm, definitely I would go Maidan side which is so much more greener and then of course Esplanade with all its bustling activites and then river (Hoogly) side, cross the Howrah bridge and enter the Howrah railway station. I would not take a Mini Bus, they are way too small and uncomfortable. Neither those tin buses which has wierd sitting arrangements making watching out of the window really difficult. So I would wait up really long to get a state run bus. Kolkata buses usually have peanut and toffee sellers and those guys who sell an entire office stationary kit (pens, pencils, writing papers, envelopes) all for a mere 10 bucks. So the bus ride would also be fun. Then some beggar would get and sing for all the passengers. And then there would be the usual comments by the irate passengers like "dada tara tari cholun, office ee deri hoyee jachee to..." (Brother driver, please drive quickly we are getting late for office), or if there is too much jostling in the crowd and a man leans way too much over a woman she would invariably say "barite ma bon neyi?" (You dont have mother or sisters at home?). Then the regular passengers would chat about politics, cricket, Sourav Ganguly, Mohonbagan and East Bengal football match, price of fish in the market today etc. And Bongs being Bongs sooner or later a huge arguement would start with tempers flying.

Then I realised that I have never done anything like that in Kolkata. I have done this many times in Delhi. When I was in JNU, I used to frequently ride 615 (the bus which connects JNU to the rest of Delhi) till its final destination the New Delhi Railway Station. We used to get up in JNU and then sit in one of the window seats and relax for an hour, for that is what 615 used to take to reach the railway station. Oh I miss those days!

In fact now that I come to think about it. In Kolkata I had done similar thing in trams. In college, sometimes we would take a tram from shyambazar and go all the way to Maidan via Esplanade or take a tram from Gariahat and go all the way to Esaplanade via Maidan. Seeing the city sitting on a tram is also lovely. Also tram travel has its own novelty-- trams are slower and more relaxed and defnitely more charmed means to travel. Sadly trams have been withdrawn from most roads of Kolkata to make space for the ever increasing number of cars. Just the other day I was telling a colleague who is from outside Kolkata that she should take her young daughter on this tram ride.

These photographs are taken from google.

Drifting afternoons...

Around this time of the year Kolkata has the best afternoons and it is lovely to watch the afternoons turning into evenings slowly. In the winters the process is too abrupht and short while in the summer it is too hot. Only this time round the process is slow and enjoyable. Today I was watching the afternoon drift from one of the windows in my office. The breeze felt really nice up where I was standing. Just next building is the campus of Ballygunj Science College, so there are trees everywhere. Down below you see students, sometimes in gangs, sometimes in twosome and sometimes alone trudging along with their big bags and books in hand. Watching the students pass reminds me of my student days. Incidentally I used to walk down this road to my school. How long away they seem. In my mind's eye I can see myself trottering along just the same way these kids, worrying about an exam or chatting with friends. Going to school was always a rushed thing, not so returning. Usually Sambaran and me, we used to walk down together. Ah for those days of innocence.

Coming back to this time of the year, I am not surprised that St Valentine chose to celebrate lovers' day now. I know it is dreadfully cold and snowing in some countries but in places like Kolkata the weather is just ready for romance and there seems to be a little love scattered in the air. It is like love is blowing gently in the wind, you just have to reach out and then you can touch it. But be careful, love wont come to you if you are a cynic or non believer. Just have faith in the goodness of life dear friend and hang in there, love sooner or later touches and heals all.

New sitting area, crow nest and mangoes...

For the sake of continuity, let me state my present mood. No more negativity or cribbing, time to cheer up and be myself.


Remember how I cribbed about the new sitting arrangement in my new office. Well it is not all that horrible, it has its perks as well. The new place where I am sitting is in the second floor. The room has lovely windows and the moment I enter office, I move the ugly blinds and open the shutters. It is spring in Kolkata, so lovely weather outside. The room fills up with fresh air and sunlight. I know this wont be possible for long, but let me enjoy this as long as it lasts. Just next to our office building is a huge mangoe tree. I can almost touch it from my window. A crow has made a nest in one of the higher branches and little crows babies continously cry for their mother and food. The cacophony produced by them is actually quiet enjoyable. The blackbird is also out singing. I am getting quiet used to working with these sounds in the background.

Most interesting is that little buds have started to bloom in the mango tree. With an almost nonexsistent summer it promises to be a long and hot summer. Mangoes sure are one of the exciting and interesting gifts that summer gives. I cant wait to see these buds turning into mangoes. I have a feeling with the help of a stick I would even be able to pluck out a few ripe ones. Wouldnt that be interesting???

Insightful quote

"Owners of capital will stimulate the working class to buymore and more of expensive goods, houses and technology,pushing them to take more and more expensive credits, untiltheir debt becomes unbearable. The unpaid debt will lead tobankruptcy of banks, which will have to be nationalised, andthe State will have to take the road which will eventuallylead to communism"

Karl Marx, Das Kapital, 1867

Moved....

Just when I was settling in my new job and trying to fit in and get to know people, my desk got moved. Before this I was sharing the room with two other people and though a little noisy, it was a fun place. We used to have these impromptu chat breaks. Now I have been shifted to this new room, which is tucked between two rooms and I am quiet alone in this room. The other desk is lying empty waiting for a new recruitment to fill it. I do not like this new place of mine. It is tucked away in one corner and quiet lonely.

Another thing to crib about. This sure is turning out to be a super bad new year!

Random Quotes

If u cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work 'n' sit at the gate of the temple & take alms of those who work with joy" - from The Prophet written by Khalil Gibran

How I wish I could do just this.