Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Treasured Memory- DeeptI aka ChippU


When I left Mumbai my friends gathered in numbers to bid me farewell. My college friends gave me what I love the most a diary and a card filled by everyone to wish me a prosperous life ahead. Gifts poured from office colleagues, family friends, school friends everywhere. But of all the soft toys, gifts, chocolates and wishes were expected, I knew Ashwin and Rocky did always give me softtoys, my classmates something to write with, close friends would come up with my favourite dress or book but of all one that I treasure the most was a surprise which came from Deepti, I call her Chippu because most of the time she is busy oiling her hair and roaming around the house in her oil tanked hair and giving instructions to me, how I should keep the house clean, how disastrous I’d be as a housewife!!(Her utmost concern), talking about her tension filled life, talking about things that we dislike and discussing about work, future, life and its philosophies.

She suddenly gave me a card out of no where and a yellow rose and hugged me tightly and tears filled our eyes but the truth is I rarely cry infront of Chippu, because I am her spirit of strength who did never fall, give up or backed out of any decision once affirmed and nonetheless always washed others tears than spilled her own. So how could I cry in her presence!!!

Finally when I read that letter sitting on my seat in the train tears couldn’t stop flowing from my eyes, it said,
“to the beautiful friend PooH J,
Dear pooja,
You have been the source of power and courage in times of sadness and disguise and source of happiness and cheerfulness in times of quietness always. Your stupid jokes and unstoppable lectures, I will miss them all.
Frankly and honestly in last three years you changed my thinking and perspective towards friendship.
Will miss your hand every time tears will come in my eyes, love you will miss you a lot. Keep in touch!
From, deepu (chippu)”

I cherish these words and will always do it(these words aint those which change with time), we both have seen life’s ups and downs together, days and nights spent discussing life and its various anecdotes, and my most adorable girl, I miss you a lot. I did never tell you what you mean to me or bid you goodbye because if I ever say bye to you then with whom will I share my feelings, my sorrows my happiness which I hide from the world.
My elder sister, my loveliest friend with whom life has been a Love-Hate relationship, fought, hugged, bitched, shared secrets done it all………..
Miss you , long for those humorous chats and crazy mimics and days when you would beat me during fights coz I could never reason prolifically …
With love,
PooH!!
puujdi-mojdi,
moti,
pooji!!!
SARKAR…..
Once again when I am reading this before hitting the save button, tears fill my eyes, but of course they wont fall as this is for U.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Uniqueness Of KoLkAtA~~~~

All my friends are filled with anxiety and inquisitivity about how I am able to adjust at Kolkata to add that I have lived in Mumbai city for last three years that is inclusive of the fact that I stayed where I’d dine three nights at McDonalds, rest two at Mafco Chinese corner and Sunday’s at my aunt’s place.
While my college friends were in kolkata they despised the city more than Mika as a singer but today in the evening while I was coming back from my uncle’s place I fell from the cycle rickshaw on which I was sitting as it was hit by another rickshaw and I realised there are some things which are so typical of Kolkata and you would never find them in Mumbai.

Cyclerickshaw- A carriage on which only two people can sit although with much discomfort and a lanky man or a boy would ride the cycle. A three tires rickshaw which doesn’t pollute air, the cheapest mode of travelling (you always have the chance of bargaining) and during rainy season they put a plastic sheet on top of the roof which has to be held by the traveller with his foot on it, the roof of the rickshaw during day times acts as sun protection and also the holder for the passenger. People who haven’t seen this kind of rickshaw can relate to the scene in Main Hoon Na where Shah Rukh Khan is riding a rickshaw to catch the mobs getting away in a Qualis!!

Auto rickshaw- Now my friends would ask me what is so surprising about an auto rickshaw, of course you won’t realise the fun unless you experience it. The auto rickshaw is the normal one but the abnormal part is 7 people sit on the rickshaw. Yes seven and the numbers can increase to 13 if kids are sitting. The driver seats two people beside him on the left hand side and one on the rear end that is the right hand side corner. As rickshaws don’t run by meter system fares sometimes vary according to the driver’s wish and if you don’t hop the rickshaw without coins (big notes like 50,100 can never be entertained) you would be thrown out.

3. Trees on Platforms: to save the trees from being cut down, platforms are designed in such a manner that the tree provides shade to the people and aligning to the tree trunk plastered cement seats are made where people sit with much relief. And you might not be shocked if you see boys riding there cycles on the platform. That is one of the most common scene here and you keep asking the question, “isn’t there any railway official?” no, ofcourse not half the times the RPF’s cycle are stationed aligning to a tree…see how helpful is that tree on a platform!!!

4. No firstclass compartment in Train- However rich or poor you might be, you have to compromise with the fact that Kolkata is a place ruled by the socialist thus there could be no differentiate between. No First class compartments for those who are willing to pay and only 2 ladies compartment which are filled with wild cats who just need to smell where the fight can begin.Man O man!!!the gate rule is the most important factor, the rule of standing on the gate is, there are selected people who come everyday and u cannot question them and incase you do you will be kicked( dignified version of what they actually do!!) out.

5. Buses- these blue coloured state run buses with yellow line imprinted as a scar on its body design, is the suicide machine!! Two conductors ride on a single bus, and deliver a ticket which 0.5 cm in width and 5 cm long, unique ticket as if it was a paper piece taken out from rough notebook although I could not dissect where they get it from!! The drivers rush so fast that one I was going to thwart off the bus..as it collided with another bus. These people are reckless driver who have a pressure to pick up more passengers and end up throwing those who are already inside the bus!!!

These five things I have noticed in proximity because I have been a victim of all these and if I introspect four unique things are about transport medium!!!

PS: Swarup, this one is specially for u!!!

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Happy Birthday To Me!!

It was my birthday and I anticipated that my mother wanted to celebrate it with zest, although I lost my grandfather early this year I wasn’t sure of celebrating it, even my family members (my so called relatives) aren’t so happy with me turning mature and older day by day as that means I would understand there tricks which they are manoeuvring for years for gaining a small piece of property which my dad and grandpa built. Thus I decided to celebrate it away with a few close family friends, thus the venue was fixed at my dad’s best friends house where he and his nuclear family was present and my mama-jomma arrived later and me and my parents consisted the entire guest list.
Total Guest(including me): 8
Then I was asked to cut the cake with 20 candles alighting atop my cake which frightened me because I am growing older. Voila..i cut the beautiful chocolate cake and then ate the biggest piece myself… then we sat for the dinner. Chicken biryani (PETA supportives don’t read this!!), fish cutlet follwed by sweet and ice cream. Then my uncle and dad asked whether the birthday celebration they did put up at the short interval was good, was I happy?
MY INTROSPECTION: I was happy for the reason that I was celebrating with my parents’ close knit family friends. These two friends of my dad my uncle and mamu, they are friends for more than 24 years which is commendable in every manner. In the contemporary society it is very rare that we can maintain friendships for such a long time. It’s rare but still this three friends share such a wonderful equation with each other. They scold each other, laugh together and also in need stand by each other. And more than that these friends had been able to make there wives close friends of each other and to add the children also follow this same norm. but there is a distance between us me and my sis(mama’s daughter) we love each other a lot but surely a distance of eight years is inevitable in our relationship. Amit (uncle’s son) he feels proud of the fact he doesn’t mingle with girls!! So this is the present generation …standing far from each other. It really disappoints me when I introspect the present generation which is so time bound and mean, we don’t befriend someone for happiness we befriend to get our work done. Today there is dearth of friends but ofcourse hundreds of acquaintances are present who surround our daily life and sometimes we fool us by thinking that’s what life is all about today. But if I insist ourselves to think about the school days we would gladly say we had such great friends, then college days where we gain friends of lifetime and office where with every passing job the numerousness increases with less profoundness.
Life for some is short for some its long but we should try and look at the beautiful things, maintain relationships and be happy about it because only when we lose someone who was close to us then we realise the proximity. So be happy and grow older wisely!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

Aeka Hata.....

Jiboner proti muhurto ta jano jachey ketey,
Hashi chada kanna chada krodh chada
Kintu tao ami khushi noi, dukhi noi, regey nei
Jiboner amon pathey dariye achi jekhan thekey
Na agey kichu dekhtey pai na pichoney ferar path chaitey payi
Matir putul pathorey thokle ja shesh paye
Shei shesh key alingan korar protikha korchi
Aka etota path heteychi ageo aekai hatbo
Mor moner katha jey keu na bojhey sheta kakey bojhai
Jiboner dhara ato tejey boichey jey amar daranor pal nei
Kheye ta jamon akla jole bhashey, ami bhashi manusher bhidey
Hayto dubbo na, kintu ami jey bachchio na!!!
Key bujhbey amar katha…..haway boyejay manusher bhabona
Jaley dub deye amader monobachona
Agni tey bhashm hai manusher chita
Kintu prann thakleo manush jey thakey akela!!!