mind travels faster than light

How to kill your self esteem/ Agneepath

2012-01-19T09:47:00.000-08:00

I heard somewhere or read that every murderer says that the first killing is difficult and one needs to go over and over again to do it..... but once a murderer or a criminal commits his first murder, he does not fear or hesitate to repeat it. For a typical criminal mind and character, this is a 'reasonable' approach.

Similarly, if one falls in one's own eyes, then it is very very hard to climb back to the top. One is guided by certain standards and principles, if one breaks that level and falls below, then it is a further slide and so on. It is just like in the path of crime, one enters with a small act and then goes on the path and one day finds one's soul sold to the satan. But does God help and protect the ones who are fighting and striving to remain honest and upright, with one's self esteem and pride intact? I dont think the answer is a resounding yes with most. One's self esteem prevents one from begging or stooping down a certain level but after one is compelled to do that in a given circumstance, then he will repeat the same and slide down further. The righteous will say that is the sign of weakness and one should not falter. But, can a man stand to see his wife cry for being unable to provide the son with food? or not being able to provide medical help for the wife? or failing to make the parents happy and content about the son? What resolve does man use to counter these situations? He tries hard to work and earn a living but he does not get the kind of jobs that he is supposed to. He lands up with seedy jobs in similar environments where neither the ethics nor the practices are agreeable. He does not stick to a job and loses his skills, erodes his confidence and self esteem. He starts losing his health, his balance of mind and his temperament. He is stressed and it shows and it ages him fast. His weakness and ailments are exposed to the world and his privacy is shattered. Where can he escape? He is not a believer that he will find recluse in religion and God; he is neither a drunkard that he can hit the bottle and forget. He sits on the mail every day and hour and checks his mobile for that 'missed call' or text message. Somebody, somewhere wants him and is willing to pay handsomely for his work- both in terms of money or respect. It goes on and on and on..... his wife gets fed up of him and his son gets restless. His parents are worried to the bone and friends and associates have already started avoiding him. Where does he go from here? He becomes a beggar for a job, money, helps and references. And this is how his self esteem is broken, destroyed and killed beyond resurrection. The anguish and pain of the soul, the insurmountable challenges posed by relationships and self esteem, the network of principles and practices, of small pleasures and sins and of big heartedness and magnanimity are all parts and parcel of the character which goes down, tragically, in his own eyes. Agneepath.

In this great movie and the character of Vijay Deenanath Chavan as portrayed by the great actor Amitabh Bachchan, it is all about resolve and revenge, of a tender mind and mean circumstances, of an immense load of responsibilities and liabilities and zero resources. This character is pushed to the wall- he is hardly 12 years old and his father is brutally killed, his house is razed and burnt by villagers who throw them out, his mother is driven crazy and there is a baby sister. What does he do? Agneepath.... his path of resurrection and death are simultaneous. In the final scene, when he hands over his village and home to his mother, killing and eradicating all blockades on the way, Vijay has run out of life. Actually, perhaps he died long back, when he carried his father's body to the burning ghat to perform his last rites. His body lived to avenge the sufferings and injustice on his family and himself and once that was accomplished, his body lost the purpose of livinga nd functioning any more.

So what is the connection between the self esteem and Agneepath? Well, it is the self esteem of a person which can make a Vijay out of a beaten boy or another beggar in the streets of Mumbai. Self esteem and pride are qualities which are rare and has to be preserved and nurtured. If humans cant do it, then it is God who should take up the responsibility. Remember, another movie of Amitabh Bachhan, Deewar in which he says proudly "hum pheke huye paise nahin uthate hain".... well this line is immortal because of its popular appeal. But think of it, is it not professionalism to the core? One, he knows his skills are valuable and are to be paid in money. Two, he wants his right price. Third, he wants it with respect. That is what all professionals want and work following the same principles. But to do this, it is not only sufficient to have skills, it is also important to have self esteem. And, mind it, it is rarer.

God and fate

2011-06-23T21:10:00.000-07:00

What does a man do when he fails to achieve his target/objective? He tries again? and again? and again? If he still fails, he sits down and analyzes his problem and his approach and perhaps seeks help from friend or professional or even spiritual minds to resolve. He edits/changes his strategy and approach to the problem and tries again. He still fails. He tries again and again and again..... and still fails. What does he do? He derives encouragement from Robert Bruce's story of the spider and keeps on trying and trying. Keeps on taking suggestions and inputs and trying them too. How long should he do this? As long as he can? 5 years? 10 years? 20 years? 28 years?? even then if he fails and is unable to raech anywhere near his target, should he give up? or he is so exhausted that he can not try any more? what will time and society say about this? that he is a quitter? that he is a failure? the fact that he tried and tried with all he had- his time, effort, resouces, mind and body is not important at all. It is the result which is all important.

It is a bit like the life of Van Gogh. while he lived, he drew and painted. No one valued it much. He loved and desired, no one cared or erciprocated. He could not even earn a decent living and died quite 'unsuccessful'..... post his death, his paintings have been regarded as masterpieces. However, the anguished and deprived existence while he lived was what he got from life. So, what is justice and rigteousness? The fact that people know of Van Gogh is for the fact that at least he is famous after his death, so people take note of his work. There are millions who lead a dejected and unfulfilling life, they are not understood by family, friends or society, and they die 'unsuccessful'...... they are less fortunate that Van Gogh. This is the way of life- you are either successful and an achiever or else you are a zombie- just taking your breath and eating and excreting, you dont exist in anyones mind and therefore dont exist at all. Makes sense in a way. However, what does not make sense is all this 'righteousness' and talks of 'right path' etc. God is not benevolent, he is quite a vengeful and petty character. He does not like anyone who does not submit or be with him, he destroys them. He is not the 'protector' or upholder of the 'right'.... he demands complete and absolute submission. You can not win if God opposes you, in fact God will destroy you eventually which people call as 'fate'. It is hell on earth and living becomes a long series of pain and despair, dejection and frustration, defeats and inevitable destruction with utter humiliation and contempt.

mind travels faster than light: The Bengali psyche over the ages has evolved in th...

2011-04-27T23:44:00.000-07:00

mind travels faster than light: The Bengali psyche over the ages has evolved in th...: "The Bengali psyche over the ages has evolved in the direction of nothingness. The Bengal which used to be looked upon by other Indians was o..."

2011-04-26T22:10:00.000-07:00

The Bengali psyche over the ages has evolved in the direction of nothingness. The Bengal which used to be looked upon by other Indians was once "what bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow" is now "what Bengal thinks and does today, rest of India finds it unacceptable and bekaar." Today the Bengalis are perceived as 'lazy, political, dirty and a case of intellect going terribly wrong.' And, there is a lot of truth in it and of course some exaggeration.

If we compare the cities in India- Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad etc with Kolkata, we will find some glaring differences in the characteristics and demographics. All of these cities have a growing middle class in line with the India picture. Shopping malls, multiplexes, car sales, rates of commercial and domestic property and some such other parameters give us a fair idea bout the consumerism, disposable income and demographic parameters of the citizens in all these places. In the early seventies and upto the mid eighties, Kolkata was generally regarded as one of the four metro cities other than Mumbai, Delhi adn Chennai. But, Kolkata has been relegated to a second/third category in the last 15/20 years. Today, Delhi NCR and Mumbai are in a league of its own followed by the southern cities of Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad and a third category comprising of Pune, Ahmedabad and Kolkata. Today, most Bengali and Kolkatan student dreams of finishing school and high school and then studying in any other city and then getting a job and settling outside Kolkata, in one of the A or B cities. Hardly anyone is willing to live and work in Kolkata/Bengal. The reasons are pretty glaring: all of them feel that Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai are much more 'happening cities' than Kolkata and the job prospects are far greater there. If I look at my peers, I find that Kolkata has very few jobs in 20 lac+ category compared to any othet metro in India.

However, Kolkatans would not like to agree to this reality. They have been extremely comfortable with the Left front rule for three decades plus and are happy with their Nandan and intellectualism. They are very contented with their 'sarkari chakri' and the 'intellectual capital of India' tag. However, this contentment and mode of denial of the reality around has made a vicious circle of a 'state of denial'..... the leftist thinking has made people to feel ashamed about personal development and growth, pursuing own aspirations and being worldly. Only in Bengal, an entrepreneur and businessman are looked down upon as people with shady and un-dependable backgrounds and operations. The entire people looks up to the Government and their political leaders as their idols and role models other than overtly Bengali and Kolkatan icons like Sourav Ganguly. Anyone with a Bengali surname is immediately claimed to be a Bengali when he wins an international award, even if he is born and brought up and educated and worked and spent his life entirely outside of Bengal. The Bengali psyche and desire to be termed as an Inetllectual is absolutely on the verge of fanaticism. The pursuit of a career and a skill, employment and work culture etc are all secondary to this. The only other sentiment which can compete with this craving is the Bengali inclination towards 'adda' and a pursuit of no-work. The city celebrates 'bandh' s as a holiday and has the highest number of bandhs in the country on a regular basis. Natinal and regional holidays are uniform across the country but the pace of work and the work culture itself are pretty deplorable. Even corporate houses feel tha their Kolkata staff and operations are less efficient and averse to work compared to other metros in India. I have been meeting many a natioanla level companies and their senior executives who has given me this information.

Instead of blaming the government for ruining Bengal, very few Bengalis will admit to the fact that it they themselves who has been voting and keeping the Lefts in power for nearly four decades. Is it not the Bengali psyche which is responsible for being petrified and averse to change for four decades? The people have elected a Govt and that has been the end of it, The people have not really bothered to come out of their 'comfort zone' and analyze if what they are getting is in sync with their aspirations. They Have continued to believe, naively that the Lefts are the best for Bengal. It is the Bengali psyche of not wanting to change which has brought the state to a grind and a new bottom/low. If the people have not remained in a state of denial, they would have seen the flight of capital from Bengal way back in eighties, the de-generation of the city when Rajiv Gandhi commented Kolkata being a 'dead city'..... Instead of doing an introspection, the Kolkatans led by the Left leaders launched a tirade to prove how superior and alive Kolkata is.

Although Bengalis are generally thought as intelligent and brainy people all across the country, I think it is more of a myth than reality. Yes, Bengalis and Kolkata have been pioneer in many aspects and broke the ice/ground on many a issue- social, political and even in technology and industry. But, and this is a serious 'but; they tend to fizzle out over time and lose the race in spite of a head start and advantage. The grit and determination of a Punjabi, Marwari and Gujarati which makes him toil and focus on his goal is absent in a Bengali. The Bengali zeal and energy flows in the field of creativity and art and a ordinary puja pandal in Kolkata will bear testimony to the fact. Most of the reality shows on TV and their musical talents hail from Kolkata and Bengal. There is no dearth of talent in the sate and its people. However, there is a serious fault in its psyche and reasoning. Just for an example, the poll day in Kolkata was a complete shut down for the city; the young and old, the rich and poor all enjoyed a holiday for casting their votes and 'adda' on the outcome of vote or simply following it on the news channels. There is a write up in TOI which has given a comparison of poll days in Kolkata and other metros and not surprisingly, it is only the beloved city of the Bengalis which shuns work on the poll day whereas in all other metros a poll day is a working day like any other with minor adjustments.

The Bengalis can go on procrastinating their introspection and corrective measures at their own peril while other metros surge ahead; the Begalis can go on feeling 'intellectual' and 'holier t than thou' attitude for the other metros and their inhabitants. It is a complete mode of denial of facts and truth and the Bengali is quite happy to live in its own world and comfort zone which it cherishes to the point of denial of reality. The famous saying of 'what Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow' was all about the Bengali mind which was open, receptive, pioneering and leading in nature. It is the same mind which has gone into a mode of 'self contentedness' and 'denial'..... the revival of the Bengali and Kolkata/Bengal will start at that point only when it happens- that is not on the outside but in the mind and that when put into action and practice, will transform the people.

hypocrisy of the bengali lefts

2011-04-18T12:06:00.000-07:00

right now there is an interview of budhdhadev bhattacharya on ndtv with barkha dutt. barkha asked budhdha that 'did you ever think of resigning for nandigram killings'? budhdha replies that 'it is not my personal decision. in our party there is no place for individual decision or sentiment. if my politburo asked me i would hv resigned but they did not so i am continuing'..... very good comrade, accepted. then by that same logic why is gautam deb who is a minister and a senior member of the party asking somnath chattopadhyaya who has been expelled from the party to cmapaign for him. and biman bose is saying that 'it is a pesonal and individual matter between them, there is no problem'..... arin this pluralism and dualism is what i have observed and hated in these people, their party and politics. i hate this hyposcricy where a person does not admit that he is trying out help from every corner, be it from a expelled member to get the last vote possible from the last person but giving all kinds of roundabout logic and reason. there is nothing wrong in taking help from every corner in a battle but the coowardice and backbonelessness not to admit that is a characteristic flaw. when cpm kills people and utilizes harmads it is a 'historic mistake' and when hindu fanatics take revenge on muslims for burning down a train full of hindu pilgrims then it is 'human massacre'..... why such double standards comrade??? narendra modi has done for gujarat and achieved unthinkable heights in development with a congress govt at the centre, he has never claimed 'kendrer bonchona' and other bullshit excuses which the lefts hv been offering for all their lacunae and inefficiency over the last 35 years. buddha or lefts hv not bn able to do 10% of the development in 35 years what narendra modi has done in less than ten years. why? i am really interested and keen to know and understand this matter.comrade, budhdhababu is openly admitting the fact that singur and nandigram are historic blunders and mistakes. he is also admitting that there is a great need for cleansing within the party rank and file. if the party truly admits that they have been wrong and are repentant of the fact then why are they still begging the people to give them another chance? why are they clinging on to their seats of power? if they are truly repentant and ashamed then they should have resigned post the lok sabha election results in 2009 as the people of bengal had voted against the left en masse..... but they did not do that. they sat tight at writers and are still trying to win by hook or by crook and remain in power. is this lust and hunger for power communistic in nature in any way? is this in any way different from the medieval kings and emperors who ruled and perpetrated their rule by any means? then why these people claim themselves to be any different from these tyrant kings of history? this is hypocricy of the highest order. and this is the reason communism has failed all across the world. most communist leaders have been punished and exiled by his own countrymen once they hv been brought down. only time will tell the fate of budhha, biman, goutams etc etc......

mind travels faster than light: Feluda 2010

2011-03-09T10:28:00.000-08:00

mind travels faster than light: Feluda 2010: "Lets suppose Feluda lives today. Feluda, like all superheroes, had never aged in the novels from early 70s to late 90s. However, assume that..."

Feluda 2010

2010-12-28T03:11:00.000-08:00

Lets suppose Feluda lives today. Feluda, like all superheroes, had never aged in the novels from early 70s to late 90s. However, assume that post his last novel in early 90s, he has started ageing and is a professional private investigator. He is now about 50, a bit on the heavier side but maintains a good physique and is superbly intelligent and informed and also enormously tech and net savvy compared to his peers. He is married to a beautiful Bengali woman professor named Pragya for 15 plus years and has a 13 year old daughter named Paromita. Pragya is a professor of English literature in Scottish Church College and hails from a Baghbajar old Bangali 'poribar' and has spent most of her life in Kolkata. Paromita goes to Loreto Bowbazar, her mother's alma mater as Feluda has shifted to a house in Salt Lake, post marriage.

Topshe is working in TCS as a software techie and hardly finds time out of his work and friends. However, he still loves Feluda and Bouthan and is absolutely friends with Paromita. Jatayu/ Lalmohanbabu is doing extremely well. His books are doing quite well but now he has more film scripts and dialogue writing to do than novels only. He sold off his ancestral house in Garpar to a promoter and has a nice apartment there. But where he actually lives is a beautiful bungalow near Madhyamgram amidst greenery and away from the hustle and bustle of the city. He comes to town and lives in his partment and comes over to Salt Lake at Feluda's house for extensive adda. Sidhujyatha has passed away peacefully a few years back and comes back often in the addas.
But, I wonder, what happened to Maganlal Meghraj, the toughest adversory that Feluda had in his career? He is now handling a huge business empire from Kolkata. His ancestral house and roots remain in Benaras but he is now based out of Kolkata, a strong patron of the ruling party and is a Real Estate and Commodoities king. He has several 'gaddis' in Burrabazar and Posta but prefers to run his business from swank offices in Theatre Road and Camac Street; and lives in a palatial building in Salt Lake. His elder daughter just got married and it was a ceremony that Kolkata has not seen in recent memory- the Victoria Memorial was the venue and close to 100 Mercs/BMWs/Audis were hired for the occassion. Rumours say that he spent close to a 100 crores in the marriage. Rumours also spell that Maganlal is the second largest owner of buildinga nd real estate in Kolkata after the LIC. Half of Rajarhat and New own is in his name and the entire property of 'Baidik Sansar' belongs to him- a top-of-the-line luxury resort and spa with a section of high end residences all priced 2 cr+ . He is magnanimous to call Feluda nd Jatayu and Topshe in all his social functions and openly acknowledges the probity and talent of the Bengalis, symbolised by Feluda troika. But then, if one takes a step back and gives a hard cold stare- what does Feluda have which Maganlal does not? In worldly posessions, the two are no match. In formal education, of course Feluda scores above Maganlal. Both are extremely intelligent, there should not be any doubt about that. Then, what the hell happened to the old Bangla saying which all like us have been harped on from the beginning of our lives by our parents- "lekhapora kore je, gari ghora chore se"/ gross English translation- one who gets educated, enjoys good things in life. Actual interpretation of the same proverb in todays context will be- " lekhapora kore je, gari ghora chorey se. je na kore budhdhi chalatey shekhe, se lekhapora kora lokeder diye kaj koriye ek sho gun borolok hoy" translated as " one who learns to use his instincts and common sense, becomes a big, rich man and employs these educated guys"....... I think one feels a little 'belied' after the end of the day.

Autograph- the Bangla movie

2010-10-19T22:55:00.000-07:00

The movie has been inspired by Satyajit Ray's NAYAK starring the timeless Uttamkumar as the hero. It is inspiring to see someone take on such a daunting challenge as the 'new Nayak' in Autograph and kudos to the team for simply attempting the project. It is completely a different matter that the movie itself is a 'good movie' by its own individuality and surprises by its uninhibited frankness. The treatement is pretty different from Nayak in the sense that unlike Nayak, the central character is not the Star but the young and talented duo of the director and the lead actress. Prosenjit does a fabulous job as Arun Chatterjee the superstar, Nandana is a revelation. It is good to see that 'Nayak' remained an inspiration to the film and not a overpowering presence. Kudos!!

Shukno Lanka- the movie

2010-08-10T23:13:00.000-07:00

It is a Bengali film by a non-Bengali and is one of the most remarkable and touching movies of receint times. The main character of Chinu Nandi is a film extra actor who makes a living by doing small bits and pieces kinds of roles in mainstream Bengali films. His work and employment is heavily dependent on the major stars/actors and is paid around Rs.250 per day for his work, which he has to haggle and get from the production manager. He is childless adn lives in a non-decreipt lane in North Kolkata.
However, the notable fact is that even in this sordidness, he is a good man- does his work diligently and honestly, maintains strict personal discipline and respects people and feelings. Mithun Chakraborty has delivered a stellar performance portaying the character and would be a contender for the National Awards for this year.
The film is also being considered for Oscar as Indian entry in Foreign Language Films category. It will be poetic justice to see Mithun triumph as a real life character that he played on screen as Chinu Nandi. This is the same man who has played Shankar- the Disco Dancer, Gunmaster G9, the Santhal hunter in Mrigaya, Krishnan Iyyer MA in Agneepath and so many other memorable and many many more totally forgettable roles in his career. However, he personifies the spirit of excellence. He is a professional who does his work and his work and performance is a direct result of the director and team he is working with. He delivers as a professional but what he delivers and is desired depends on the film maker and the director. Mithun has won several National Awards and will win more...... but he has won the respect of his peers and the love of his colleagues whom no one talks about- the technicians and extras. This is the triumph of Mithun and Chinu Nandi- as human beings!!

Naxal and Maoists in Bengal politics today

2010-08-10T11:25:00.000-07:00

The Maoists are close brothers of the communists, at least the DNA of both of them have more similarities than differences compared to say a BJP or a CONGRESS activist. However, the Communists and Maoists are sworn enemies in Bengal and are hell bent in killing and eliminating each other.

The Santhal and tribes of Bengal and broadly the Chhota Nagpur plateau region are deprived and impoverished lot of people who have been cheated of their land, livelihood and respect for generations. The Indian Govt has done little for these people and this is a national phenomenon. However, if we look at the communist strategy in Bengal for the last 40 years, we will see that they have segmented the society and rooted for their support with a certain segment only. They targeted the refugees from East Bengal and Pakistan as they were homeless and had no one to guide them in India where they arrived as beggars. The Indian govt was ailing under its own problems and were even more burdened by the deluge of refugees and was unable to handle the situation. The communist party took this opportunity to gain popularity amongst the refugees by taking foolish populist steps and defy the national plan for refugee rehabilitation. The communist party fought tooth and nail against the government which wanted to rehabilitate the refugees in various places outside Bengal but the communists resisted because if the refugees left the state to pursue their lives and rebuild their careers, they will not have a vote bank. These communists played a similar kind of ploy with the tribals too.... they professed that the central govt and the ruling parties were all belonging to rich men and owners of mines and industries... therefore the only hope for tribals were the communists. The tribals trusted and voted them on to power but after about 20 years or so they realised how they have been taken for a ride. Now the tribals have taken up arms and killed many communists party workers and supporters and the communist party is waging a war against these tribals today with the able support of the central forces which till some time back were the sworn 'enemies'......

The Maoists are the biggest internal security threat as professed by the Prome Minister who is also a renowned economist. Does he not realize a simple fact that if these people had food, shelter, health care and adequate livelihood, they would not have taken up arms!! The huge funds being used to fight the Maoists could well have been used for their development decades back. What was the government and economists and elite planners doing at that time?? Why did they not do their duty and let the tribals rot like animals??

We have to get to the fundamental level and appease the anger of these people and understand their problem to find a solution.... otherwise we are creating an enemy within which threatens to tear apart the social and political fabric of the state Bengal and other areas in the country too.

Social Networking

2010-08-10T11:21:00.000-07:00

Nowadays, there are so many social networking sites and it commonly happens that we go on accepting invites from friends and associates to create accounts on different sites and before we realize, we find there are many accounts.... some of which are rarely opened and attended. It is irresponsible and rude to be inactive and not react to posts by friends and associates looking for inputs and thoughts, the fundamental objective of the social networking site.

What is the remedy? Is there a way in which we could manage this issue better?

Does India need its Muslims more than they need India??

2010-05-29T08:08:00.000-07:00

It might be an extremely politically incorrect question and topic but nonetheless, it is not less pertinent and important. Islam is associated with terror and terrorism all across the world, not only in India. In India, terror is being propagated by Islamic neighbour Pakistan and also by Bangladesh. We will do well to remember that the Indian sub-continent was divided by the British in line with the Muslim League demand for a separate country and state of their own. The British govt and the Indian National Congress agreed, although not unanimously to the British plan. However, we were shocked to see that the Muslims did not leave India and settle in Pakistan as was the plan but they drove away the Hindus from there. In fact, more Muslims remained back in India and the purpose of the division was completely defeated. The number of Muslims in India is more than the total population of Pakistan!!

Even today, Muslims prefer to live and carry on with their lives in India than in Pakistan and Bangladesh. The number of Muslims are growing rapidly in India but the number of Hindus are an absolute negligible percentage in both these countries.

Muslims in India feel that they are Muslims first and owe a natural allegiance to a Islamic state like Pakistan and feel proud to be associated with far away Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia etc than pay allegiance to India, where they are born and earn their living.

The Indian Govt has been trying to appease and soft pedal the Muslims in a bid to secure their votes and there has been many instances where the govt has bent over backwards to please the Muslims, be it by way of reservations in jobs, special treatment to Kashmir etc etc.

there are two

Durga pujo at Kolkata

2009-10-17T02:53:00.000-07:00

Durgapujo happens to be the most important, popular and prominent celebration of Bengal and Bengalis wherever they might be. Although this is the worship of Goddess Durga in remembrance of her eliminating Mahishasur, the demon. However, if anyone thinks that this is a mere religious functon, he could not be further away from the truth. This is one festival of celebrations, lights, colours, food and music and home comings........ and much more.

The traditional festival in Kolkata/Bengal can be broadly categorized in two: the Barowari or community festival or the private festivals of old families. There is a new category which is happening at the Housing Complexes- it is a community pujo structurally but resembles a family affair because of the fact that the audience and participation is mostly within a closed group.

The fedstival seems to put the times and reality in a compplete check.... it seems the city and people are hell bent on having a good time.... be it sommunity gatherings, food, clothes, partying, meeting friends and relatives and shopping etc. And then there are the pujo organizers and clubs etc who spend huge money, skills and labour and time to build and conduct the Barowari pujos. The tremendous and amazing skills of the artisans are brought out in the pandals, their structure and finesse and the awesome skills which make these structures ready within their deadlines in spite of rains, poor infrastrcuture etc.

One wonders that if only a portion of this huge budget and enthusiasm and enterprise is used in the matter of improving the civic amenities etc, it will do wonders and achieve results far superior to the present ones being done by the govt or some NGOs. Maybe, this is a trend which will emerge in the coming years......

mid 40s

2009-04-18T23:19:00.001-07:00

This is probably a plateau time in one's life and careers. The children are not so young and cute and they start asking hard questions and make strong demands. The wifey is probably a bit disillusioned and the self is probably coming to terms with one's ambitions and aspirations and generally resigning to the way things are.

But, is it that hopeless and drab... really??

fault finder

2007-03-22T07:55:00.000-07:00

i chose this name deliberately..... as i find faults very easily and naturally. i guess this makes me a very politically incorrect and negative man..... however, i don't really care. i am sure there will be others who might find something substantial and maybe some food for thought!!! wow!!

actually i dont believe in the world that karan johar movies show. i also do not believe in the tremendous hoopla and hype that the media is creating over 'india making it big, growing at 9% blah blah'. i actually believe that ther is a lot of crap in all this, besides the truth which is there.
however, the media has become such a huge and competitive business that they have started selling dreams and not concrete information. they are out to hook you and show a higher trp/nrs readership blah blah and get more brands to adevrtise through them.

we are one billion people with quite a hard life; we are starved for heroes and role models... whereas the economy is doing well and brands are competing tooth and nail tp get more space in our minds. therefore, the media is creating heroes, and sensationalizing issues and blowing things out of proportion.

what do you say???