Of times; then and now...

>> Friday, April 10, 2009

COLLEGE

Life dat was.... College life is one of those periods where we either make or break.. Whatever we may become, it is surely a golden period..

DAT SMALL LITTLE GROUP

Then i found that small little group.. We shared and cared, laughed and cried, ran and walked.. We found solace among ourselves..

MOMENTS OF MIRTHFULNESS

Few moments leave ever lasting impressions.. I just pray to return at dose times, only to be denied by shrewd and harsh reality..

THEN THAT MEMORABLE EXCURSION

Call it an excursion or an "arranged by the students" college trip, i take it as u say.. Coz no other memory in the world makes me more nostalgic than this one.. I miss the trip a hell lot..

PLACES I LIKE TO GO, AGAIN AND AGAIN

Digha is the place i love to go again and again.. For those who dont know, this place is a sea side town, on the coast of Bay of Bengal, in West Bengal.. Its feels great to spend a weekend over here, and let the breeze run through your hair.. Amen..

WITH FRIENDS OF TIME UNKNOWN

Very few people have their childhood friends, still with them.. I am a damn lucky one..

WHEN NATURE SPEAKS

Just shut up and listen !!!!!

>> Saturday, March 14, 2009

I am Soul

Hear day and night that you are that Soul. Repeat it to yourselves day and night till it enters into your very veins, till it tingles in every drop of blood, till it is in your flesh and bone. Let the whole body be full of that one ideal, "I am the birth less, the deathless, the blissful, the omniscient, the omnipotent, ever-glorious Soul." Think on it day and night; think on it till it becomes part and parcel of your life. Meditate upon it... All your actions will be magnified, transformed, deified, by the very power of thought. If matter is powerful, thought is omnipotent. Bring this thought to bear upon your life, fill yourselves with the thought of your mightiness, your majesty and your glory.

These conceptions of Vedanta must come out, must remain not only in the forest, not only in the cave, but they must come out to work at the bar and the bench, in the pulpit, and in the cottage of the poor man, with the fishermen that are catching fish, and with the students that are studying... If the fisherman thinks that he is the Spirit, he will be a better fisherman; if the student thinks that he is the Spirit, he will be a better student. If the lawyer thinks that he is the Spirit, he will be a better lawyer, and so on...

----- Swami Vivekananda

Courting New Impressions

>> Friday, March 13, 2009

The traditional philosopher would urge not to change yourself with time.. But realistically, is it possible?? I think not.. A world of countless individuals, changing all the time, proposing new theories, exploring the unexplored, inventing the unimaginable. Sitting amid, how is it not possible to harbor new ideas, new thoughts, new impressions???

I still remember the day i got my first and only (till date) offer letter. I had so many ideas, so many thoughts, so many wishes run through my mind in those few seconds. Life seemed to be complete. But again, i was yet to confront the blitzkrieg. Now i come face to face with the vagary of life, engaged in a slug fest. The brutal truth "life is not a bed of roses" is evident now. Now i have totally new sets of ideas about my life: the worst is yet to come.

Sitting in the comfort zone of my sweet little home is making me uncomfortable. An idle brain is cultivating moronic signatures in me. Passing days are making me more and more lazy, both mentally and physically. But even in these tough times, some events has led to the metempsychosis of my hopes. I have started to court new impressions, again!! An impression of a better time, an impression of a better life.

Let us divert from here and take a look upon the people around me. Situations coerce us to have new impressions about those who were a cause of concern for us. Alas!! Some are not any more. Times have changed, so has they, so have i. Nothing is stagnant over here. Time flows in its own jaunty attitude. But the morons like me get baffled. We dont realize the right time to move on. Some precious time of our small little lives get wasted understanding the harsh truth: people around us also court new impressions.

So here we go. So does the world. We all change. Changes are necessary. They teach us some valuable lessons of life, some lessons that leave on us enduring impressions, and even alters the rattling flow of our lives. Sometimes we waste a precious winter in the hope of enjoying the next. There is nothing we can gain by remaining imbecile. It is time when i start courting new impressions, instead of waiting for others to do the same.

"Stand up, be bold, be strong. Take the whole responsibility on your own shoulders, and know that you are the creator of your own destiny. All the strength and succor you want is within yourselves. Therefore, make your own future."

I had a dream... Ya, that's a past tense!!

>> Saturday, January 17, 2009

How much pessimistic the caption may look like, how much poignant it may seem, to me it's the sinking star. Again, "sinking star" may sound pessimist. But does a sinking star really sinks? Nope it doesn't. It stays right above our head, all the time.

Actually, the caption is very much realistic, with a bit of optimism. I had a dream. I really had a dream when i was in class 10. Then again i had another replacing the one i had. All because it was fulfilled. Then again when i was in college, i again had one. Again it was replaced by a newer one. So it goes on this way. "The old order changeth yeilding place to the new". Life should move on.

Life is an act of scudding. And we are the runners. There is no place for 2nd over here. So we all need to win. So do i. But is it possible for everyone to win? Indeed it is. I am not running a race against anybody. Rather i am doing so against myself. A race to beat the previous record. As long as i can, i win. The moment i falter, i go back a few kilometers. The only way to win is have new goals. Rather new dreams i should say. So I had a dream.

I am dreaming of another now. I love to dream. And i shall always dream. I dream, therefore i exist. Actually, it is in our hands to succeed in life. It is our present that gives birth to the future. We dream at present. We succeed in the future.

Durga Puja.... It's not a festival, it's a religion

>> Saturday, October 4, 2008

Perhaps the biggest time in the life of a general Bengali comes every year during the Pujas. No matter where they stay, no one wants to miss the debonair of the pujas. Also known as Durgotsab, the goddess Durga is worshiped with all grandeur. It refers to all the six days observed as Mahalaya, Sasthi, Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami, Maha Nabami and Bijoya Dashami. Mahalaya marks the end of Pitri Pokkho ("Fortnight of the forefathers") and the beginning of Debi Pokkho ("Fortnight of Goddess").

It's a five day annual holiday here during the pujas. Not only it is the biggest Hindu festival in this state, but also the most significant socio-cultural event. The five days of the pujas, starting from Sasthi, accounts for non-stop leg paining scouting of this city. Apart from West Bengal, Durga Puja is also celebrated in many other states of India including Jammu and Kashmir. It is also a major festival in Nepal and Bangladesh.

Pandals and idols inspired by a particular theme has been the hallmark of Sarbojonin or community pujas in Kolkata since the early 1990s. Generally a particular theme is incorporated in the pandals. Popular themes include the early Egyptian culture or the Messopotamian culture. Contemporary themes like Harry Potter or the Titanic has also found its spot. Again pandals are made similar to different ancient temples.

Many Bengali films, albums or books are released to coincide with the Puja. The government gives a fortnight of holidays during the pujas. The time is used in various ways. Many travel various places in India or abroad. But most people like to spend the time in Adda at restaurants or in a puja pandal. Pandal hopping is also a great way to spend time during the pujas. TV and radio channels telecast pujas. Many channels dedicate their full time for the pujas. Various magazines are released during the pujas which highlight the works various upcoming writers.

Durga Puja is in the blood of every Bengalis. Not only the Bengalis, people of all community and religion celebrate this time. Its a new religion all together.