Whoever knew flying kites could be so much fun!
Ok... bad question... many did, but the point is I didn't...
And that is primarily due to the fact that earlier I couldn't fly one, and to be fair I still can't: :P
Erm... so the sentences seem like a paradox right?!
To put it plainly on paper, I can't make a kite rise... but once its up there I can keep it there! :P:D
And occasionally pull off a few tricks.
As usual 17th September was Judgement Day... the day of 'Bisyakarma Pujo'.
In the morning amidst the dark clouds, our group of apartment friends got together... pooled in funds to buy kites and refilled our 'latai's with different types of 'manja'(strings).
We came back with a dozen hi-fliers of various shapes and sizes... and our 'latai's threaded with red and black 'manja'!
At around 3 in the afternoon we went up to the terrace... the sun was out and seeing the sky laden with rainbow colours... it truly was a inspiring sight! :)
Inspite of every single preparation the most important part was left! Getting someone to lift the kites!
Fortunately Joyjit 'kaku' was ready to help... as always... you can always count on him. He would make them rise to a certain height and we would take over from there.
From there started my day of firsts...
First achievement was keeping a kite in the air for over 10 minutes... believe its a big achievement for someone who knows almost nothing about kites.
The second one... and the BIGGEST one came around all of a sudden... it all happened too fast for me to register anything! My kite was sitting majestically atop the cotton clouds, when suddenly from nowhere an intruder started approaching it! It was looking for a fight!
My first reaction was that of both panic and excitement together! Joyjit 'kaku' told me to just keep the string loose, because the the other guy was keeping it too tight.
The summit clash lasted for 5 or so seconds! And before I realized anything the familiar jubilant chant of 'BHOKATTA' arose from our rooftop!
I had just cut a kite for the first time! The feeling was overwhelming... for the first time in weeks I felt proud of myself!
And through the length of the day I was lucky enough to bring down another 3! Mind you, I lost 2 kites in the process though.
First loss was to an already cut kite floating aimlessly in the air... somehow it got wrapped around my one and the string snapped!
The second loss was more meaningful though...
When the sun was on the verge of setting we found our area of the sky void of predators, only mine and my friend's kite were there... you can very well guess what happened next!
It was decided then and there... we were going to play a 'friendly'... a civil war of sorts!
The bout was the most evenly contested one of the day... after a lot of criss-crossing... tangling, I suddenly felt the tension in the string drop... I had just lost my second kite... but more importantly lost to my friend... this was humiliating... now I would have to hear about this for a long long time to come...
Its true... you can't have everything!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Delight and Despair...
All this while I didn't feel like writing about it...
But life moves on I guess, so here it is...
PART I : Delight
The first day of every month has a certain freshness about it. And as for this month, I went 'Pujo' Shopping with my mother. It IS a BIG thing for us people in Bengal, atleast for most of us.
And buying clothes with cousins and friends may be fun but when your priority is quantity, you are better off being with parents. I'm quite far from being a 'shopaholic'... infact this is the only time of the year I feel like freshening up my wardrobe. But having lots of new clothes during the festival season is something I like.
So as planned, at around one in the afternoon we reached 'Shyambazar', and within another hour I found myself with a T-Shirt, a Casual Shirt, two pairs of trousers... the first one being Jeans and the other Chinos. We stopped midway for a 'Paapri Chaat' break. And after the interval it was time for Ma to get herself a sari... a pure Silk one. She had done the bulk of her shopping on a previous day. We rounded it off with a 'Panjabi' for the day of 'Ashtami' and a pair of Walking Shoes.
Being out with parents after a while can be a wonderful experience... and I wasn't going to forget it in a hurry! If only I knew the next day was going to be even more unforgettable...
PART II : Despair
When the first sound that infiltrates your subconscious mind is that of your mother trying to wake you up, you just know that its the beginning of another normal day... a day of college.
As usual... between the small periods of after-sleep (each one brought to an end by subsequent calls from Ma), occasionally I keep stealing a glance at the wall-clock... and only when I realize that I cannot stay in bed any longer... do I get up and start the routine procedures.
After having a small breakfast of sorts, I left home around 9:10 and at around 9:45 found myself at Salt Lake Tank No. 4, the bus-stop from where I take a bus to college everyday. I usually reach there a few minutes earlier, but I had gotten late that day.
So the first bus I manged to squeeze into was Bus No. DN-46. It was crowded as expected. And I barely managed to hold onto an overhead rod with my left hand while taking support from the ceiling with my right. At the very next stop a large number of people got down from the bus. And while doing so, many of them brushed against my side. I didn't realize anything odd then, but within a minute or two when I put my hand into my left-pocket I couldn't feel my cell-phone!
It was gone!
The sinking feeling that you get is just impossible to explain.
Things unfolded rapidly... first the realization... then the consequences... and finally the reaction... Another fellow passenger had suffered the same fate! So both of us approached a third person to call our numbers... in both cases it reported that the cell phone had been switched-off.
In college, friends were supportive (except one who found it funny for some 'overly-intellectual' reason only he knows of), they helped me get the SIM blocked. My department teachers were also helpful and gave me the permission to go out and lodge a FIR. And after going through two police stations I finally returned to college at around noon.
I called Ma from a telephone-booth outside, she was shocked to say the least, but didn't enquire too much... she knew I would explain everything when I got back home... and that I did.
Next day got my number restored and since then I've been using the replacement SIM from my previous phone. I don't feel like getting a new one... don't feel I deserve it.
It was a four-month old set... my Nokia 6303c, and despite the fact that I'm not a gadget-freak, I really loved it.
The features were really nice... it had everything... infact more than what I needed in a phone... and the part I liked about it the most was the the way if gave off a faint-bluish intermittent glow when there were unread messages. These are small things that get you attached to things... I will miss my cell phone... I really will.
I don't want to turn this into an Ode, so I'll bring the description to an end.
All the above events took place within a span of 24 hours...
Despite everything, I guess I did learn a few things...
Necessity makes you do things which you normally wouldn't even consider.
And yes... Life does change very quickly.
But the time-span required to adjust to these changes is not quite as small...
But life moves on I guess, so here it is...
PART I : Delight
The first day of every month has a certain freshness about it. And as for this month, I went 'Pujo' Shopping with my mother. It IS a BIG thing for us people in Bengal, atleast for most of us.
And buying clothes with cousins and friends may be fun but when your priority is quantity, you are better off being with parents. I'm quite far from being a 'shopaholic'... infact this is the only time of the year I feel like freshening up my wardrobe. But having lots of new clothes during the festival season is something I like.
So as planned, at around one in the afternoon we reached 'Shyambazar', and within another hour I found myself with a T-Shirt, a Casual Shirt, two pairs of trousers... the first one being Jeans and the other Chinos. We stopped midway for a 'Paapri Chaat' break. And after the interval it was time for Ma to get herself a sari... a pure Silk one. She had done the bulk of her shopping on a previous day. We rounded it off with a 'Panjabi' for the day of 'Ashtami' and a pair of Walking Shoes.
Being out with parents after a while can be a wonderful experience... and I wasn't going to forget it in a hurry! If only I knew the next day was going to be even more unforgettable...
PART II : Despair
When the first sound that infiltrates your subconscious mind is that of your mother trying to wake you up, you just know that its the beginning of another normal day... a day of college.
As usual... between the small periods of after-sleep (each one brought to an end by subsequent calls from Ma), occasionally I keep stealing a glance at the wall-clock... and only when I realize that I cannot stay in bed any longer... do I get up and start the routine procedures.
After having a small breakfast of sorts, I left home around 9:10 and at around 9:45 found myself at Salt Lake Tank No. 4, the bus-stop from where I take a bus to college everyday. I usually reach there a few minutes earlier, but I had gotten late that day.
So the first bus I manged to squeeze into was Bus No. DN-46. It was crowded as expected. And I barely managed to hold onto an overhead rod with my left hand while taking support from the ceiling with my right. At the very next stop a large number of people got down from the bus. And while doing so, many of them brushed against my side. I didn't realize anything odd then, but within a minute or two when I put my hand into my left-pocket I couldn't feel my cell-phone!
It was gone!
The sinking feeling that you get is just impossible to explain.
Things unfolded rapidly... first the realization... then the consequences... and finally the reaction... Another fellow passenger had suffered the same fate! So both of us approached a third person to call our numbers... in both cases it reported that the cell phone had been switched-off.
In college, friends were supportive (except one who found it funny for some 'overly-intellectual' reason only he knows of), they helped me get the SIM blocked. My department teachers were also helpful and gave me the permission to go out and lodge a FIR. And after going through two police stations I finally returned to college at around noon.
I called Ma from a telephone-booth outside, she was shocked to say the least, but didn't enquire too much... she knew I would explain everything when I got back home... and that I did.
Next day got my number restored and since then I've been using the replacement SIM from my previous phone. I don't feel like getting a new one... don't feel I deserve it.
It was a four-month old set... my Nokia 6303c, and despite the fact that I'm not a gadget-freak, I really loved it.
The features were really nice... it had everything... infact more than what I needed in a phone... and the part I liked about it the most was the the way if gave off a faint-bluish intermittent glow when there were unread messages. These are small things that get you attached to things... I will miss my cell phone... I really will.
I don't want to turn this into an Ode, so I'll bring the description to an end.
All the above events took place within a span of 24 hours...
Despite everything, I guess I did learn a few things...
Necessity makes you do things which you normally wouldn't even consider.
And yes... Life does change very quickly.
But the time-span required to adjust to these changes is not quite as small...
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