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...
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Why do we even Divide by One?!
Now I know why an Engineering Bachelor's Degree lasts four years...
So that you can learn the bus route to and from your college!
This realization dawned upon me this very Thursday.
It may sound like a lame joke, but believe me it doesn't seem as stupid and funny when you're at the receiving end!
Throughout my first year I was oblivious of the fact that there were two buses with their route numbers different only by a '/1'. Bus No. 215A is actually the one which is supposed to take me to my destination. And then there is Bus No. 215A/1... which doesn't exactly take me 'very close' to my destination. :P
Anyway after another tiresome day... I got up on the the first bus I found on my route. At a glance the number seemed to be somewhat like a 215... that was good enough...
I cosily settled into a empty seat for another lazy trip back to 'Ultadanga'...
The first time something struck me as odd was when the bus turned left instead of right at a junction... and most importantly no one complained! Now let me tell you, this isn't really a very Kolkata-bus-public-like response... one or two heated words are the least you can expect, but yet I didn't bother too much because in Salt Lake buses are often forced to take detours because of frequent road construction works.
After another half an hour, instead of 'Karunamoyee' we reached 'Beleghata' going over the EM Bypass road. I was sure the bus would take a turn towards 'Ultadanga' at the CIT Road junction... but instead it raced straight ahead towards 'Sealdah'!!!
I shot off my seat at once and tried to maneuver my way through the bustling crowd of passengers (anyone who has been in a bus during office return hours knows what I'm talking about) to the entrance... managing to reach there only when two more stops had passed away! So I somehow managed to jump off at 'Rashmoni Bazar'.
The only silver lining was that I had a bus which takes me directly to my home from there... so finally I did reach home, with a time lag of around an hour...
Some wise guy once quoted... "At every corner life teaches you a lesson"
Wish I had learnt mine at the very first turn! :P
So that you can learn the bus route to and from your college!
This realization dawned upon me this very Thursday.
It may sound like a lame joke, but believe me it doesn't seem as stupid and funny when you're at the receiving end!
Throughout my first year I was oblivious of the fact that there were two buses with their route numbers different only by a '/1'. Bus No. 215A is actually the one which is supposed to take me to my destination. And then there is Bus No. 215A/1... which doesn't exactly take me 'very close' to my destination. :P
Anyway after another tiresome day... I got up on the the first bus I found on my route. At a glance the number seemed to be somewhat like a 215... that was good enough...
I cosily settled into a empty seat for another lazy trip back to 'Ultadanga'...
The first time something struck me as odd was when the bus turned left instead of right at a junction... and most importantly no one complained! Now let me tell you, this isn't really a very Kolkata-bus-public-like response... one or two heated words are the least you can expect, but yet I didn't bother too much because in Salt Lake buses are often forced to take detours because of frequent road construction works.
After another half an hour, instead of 'Karunamoyee' we reached 'Beleghata' going over the EM Bypass road. I was sure the bus would take a turn towards 'Ultadanga' at the CIT Road junction... but instead it raced straight ahead towards 'Sealdah'!!!
I shot off my seat at once and tried to maneuver my way through the bustling crowd of passengers (anyone who has been in a bus during office return hours knows what I'm talking about) to the entrance... managing to reach there only when two more stops had passed away! So I somehow managed to jump off at 'Rashmoni Bazar'.
The only silver lining was that I had a bus which takes me directly to my home from there... so finally I did reach home, with a time lag of around an hour...
Some wise guy once quoted... "At every corner life teaches you a lesson"
Wish I had learnt mine at the very first turn! :P
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Brother and Sister Harmony!
Happy Raksha Bandhan to every bro-sis duo out there! :)
It really is a wonderful occasion!
This is THE one day, when perhaps we all try to lessen our day-to-day quarrels... atleast try to!:P
I've often heard many say that we don't need a certain day to celebrate something... but the truth is that we do! Most certainly!
After a tedious day of college, when you come back and hear that your sister is coming to meet you from quite far, it does speak a lot. And this is just one of the many reasons I love my cousin sis so much!
The evening was spent playing PC Games with my nephew! After a long time! Although I'm not a big fan of Combat Games like Virtua Fighter, I like playing it with him... because this is perhaps the only game where we are on even terms!
Every single cousin can't always make it... for various reasons... so I have also started getting greetings and 'Rakhi's through mail... through other sister... and even online(from my sisters in the US)!
So altogether a very nice evening!
Not every one sees the sunny side of things though!
I know of a certain brother of mine who kept his cell phone switched off throughout the day... for the fear that some classmate of his might wish him over a text message!
It really is a wonderful occasion!
This is THE one day, when perhaps we all try to lessen our day-to-day quarrels... atleast try to!:P
I've often heard many say that we don't need a certain day to celebrate something... but the truth is that we do! Most certainly!
After a tedious day of college, when you come back and hear that your sister is coming to meet you from quite far, it does speak a lot. And this is just one of the many reasons I love my cousin sis so much!
The evening was spent playing PC Games with my nephew! After a long time! Although I'm not a big fan of Combat Games like Virtua Fighter, I like playing it with him... because this is perhaps the only game where we are on even terms!
Every single cousin can't always make it... for various reasons... so I have also started getting greetings and 'Rakhi's through mail... through other sister... and even online(from my sisters in the US)!
So altogether a very nice evening!
Not every one sees the sunny side of things though!
I know of a certain brother of mine who kept his cell phone switched off throughout the day... for the fear that some classmate of his might wish him over a text message!
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Music's in the Air
This is ridiculous!
Its one of the most 'inexpressible' (well I really can't express it!) feelings in the world!
You spend an hour thinking that you are on the verge of finding out something significant... and at the end, you realize you were on a wild-goose chase all along!
A friend posted some random alphabets on Facebook and I was asked to find out what they meant.
Well they looked like some kind of code so reluctantly I gave it a look, ok... maybe more than just 'a' look!
I tried to find all kinds of sequences that I could come up with, like constant letter differences... number shifting... tried to find names of people related to him... my mind was running wild... even tried to see if the code contained the name of any girl, who maybe he secretly likes!
But alas... what do I find at the end?
Its just the the first letters of an old song's words put together!
Damn!
I mean... come on... ... ... I'm lost for words again!
I guess I have to learn to ignore things more often!:P
The evening went fine though!
I'm starting to discover a hidden love for Acoustic Guitars these days!
Initially I was like... how quickly can I switch over to an Electric... but now, I don't feel like going through even a day without playing it... even if its only for a few minutes...
Although I hardly know anything and have lots and lots to learn... just the excitement in learning how to play a guitar by yourself keeps me going!
I actually lost interest in it when I first started four years back... I hardly touched the guitar for two years after that... I wasn't too keen on the training exercises... but those (the ones I did... or rather was forced to do) did help a lot!
My first reaction these days is to try and find the arpeggios and chords for any song that I develop a liking for... from the internet obviously... and then well... trying to play it!
Its one of the best ways to relax and at the same time do something useful... atleast thats the way I see it!
Its one of the most 'inexpressible' (well I really can't express it!) feelings in the world!
You spend an hour thinking that you are on the verge of finding out something significant... and at the end, you realize you were on a wild-goose chase all along!
A friend posted some random alphabets on Facebook and I was asked to find out what they meant.
Well they looked like some kind of code so reluctantly I gave it a look, ok... maybe more than just 'a' look!
I tried to find all kinds of sequences that I could come up with, like constant letter differences... number shifting... tried to find names of people related to him... my mind was running wild... even tried to see if the code contained the name of any girl, who maybe he secretly likes!
But alas... what do I find at the end?
Its just the the first letters of an old song's words put together!
Damn!
I mean... come on... ... ... I'm lost for words again!
I guess I have to learn to ignore things more often!:P
The evening went fine though!
I'm starting to discover a hidden love for Acoustic Guitars these days!
Initially I was like... how quickly can I switch over to an Electric... but now, I don't feel like going through even a day without playing it... even if its only for a few minutes...
Although I hardly know anything and have lots and lots to learn... just the excitement in learning how to play a guitar by yourself keeps me going!
I actually lost interest in it when I first started four years back... I hardly touched the guitar for two years after that... I wasn't too keen on the training exercises... but those (the ones I did... or rather was forced to do) did help a lot!
My first reaction these days is to try and find the arpeggios and chords for any song that I develop a liking for... from the internet obviously... and then well... trying to play it!
Its one of the best ways to relax and at the same time do something useful... atleast thats the way I see it!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
The Grass 'IS' always Greener on the Other Side
And I thought Second Years got away with everything... or atleast more than the newbies of First Year do!
I was so wrong!
Deep within their hearts (and sometimes not even 'that' deep) every Engineering student knows that the practicals are what matter most...
During our first year, it didn't seem to me that the college bothered too much about our attendance on that one day when we didn't have lab classes... and what happens when we move into Second Year? The very first time this happens, we get warned... and moreover we almost had our practical classes cancelled!
It wasn't a Mass-Bunk... as it was made out to be, each one had their separate reasons...
Although I admit an attendance of 19 out of 60 doesn't seem flattering, we've seen worse-case scenarios.
College is getting hectic with loads of assignments... and I also have to deliver on my promise of 'trying' to study this semester... so I won't have too many other things to share I guess...
Atleast the subjects seem more interesting this year... in a monotonous college life!
But friends make it easier, and I believe that is the only reason I feel like going to college...
So cheers to them! :)
P.S. It doesn't seem like I'll be finding something interesting very soon... so please bear with me! :P
I was so wrong!
Deep within their hearts (and sometimes not even 'that' deep) every Engineering student knows that the practicals are what matter most...
During our first year, it didn't seem to me that the college bothered too much about our attendance on that one day when we didn't have lab classes... and what happens when we move into Second Year? The very first time this happens, we get warned... and moreover we almost had our practical classes cancelled!
It wasn't a Mass-Bunk... as it was made out to be, each one had their separate reasons...
Although I admit an attendance of 19 out of 60 doesn't seem flattering, we've seen worse-case scenarios.
College is getting hectic with loads of assignments... and I also have to deliver on my promise of 'trying' to study this semester... so I won't have too many other things to share I guess...
Atleast the subjects seem more interesting this year... in a monotonous college life!
But friends make it easier, and I believe that is the only reason I feel like going to college...
So cheers to them! :)
P.S. It doesn't seem like I'll be finding something interesting very soon... so please bear with me! :P
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Being Oblivious of the Aftershock
"Time is the best healer."
You'd hear many a wise person quoting this... and to be fair I agree with them.
However if you're looking for a short-duration alternative, you could always put your money on SLEEP! Yes, thats right... nothing can douse unwanted thoughts the way slumber can.
And if I can count myself as an experimental subject... then I might as well state that the theory is 'Scientifically Proven'! (Well... if the adversitements can use this tag the way they do these days, so can I!)
What I'm driving at is that till yesterday I was still dissapointed over my university results.
I was feeling so tired and exhausted that I even skipped college today.
And as always, when I woke up today (at noon to be precise) the world did seem a lot brighter than the previous day... only in a metaphorical way though... because today the skies were cloudy to say the least!
I had almost forgotten about it, again which I know is not a good thing... 'cause supposedly "These memories should ignite the flame of desire in you for overcoming such future obstacles"... phew... don't worry I didn't make that up... I think I came across something like this in some book.
On a more serious note, this time study will have to come up the priority list!
I know I keep saying this every time (and so do many of my friends)... but this time lets just hope we don't break this resolution... atleast not in the way we usually do... have to give it a try atleast!
Anyway sleep does help... it has helped me even in situations which really were very hard to get over...
Some memories should be left to savour... while some are better forgotten... if only we could...
You'd hear many a wise person quoting this... and to be fair I agree with them.
However if you're looking for a short-duration alternative, you could always put your money on SLEEP! Yes, thats right... nothing can douse unwanted thoughts the way slumber can.
And if I can count myself as an experimental subject... then I might as well state that the theory is 'Scientifically Proven'! (Well... if the adversitements can use this tag the way they do these days, so can I!)
What I'm driving at is that till yesterday I was still dissapointed over my university results.
I was feeling so tired and exhausted that I even skipped college today.
And as always, when I woke up today (at noon to be precise) the world did seem a lot brighter than the previous day... only in a metaphorical way though... because today the skies were cloudy to say the least!
I had almost forgotten about it, again which I know is not a good thing... 'cause supposedly "These memories should ignite the flame of desire in you for overcoming such future obstacles"... phew... don't worry I didn't make that up... I think I came across something like this in some book.
On a more serious note, this time study will have to come up the priority list!
I know I keep saying this every time (and so do many of my friends)... but this time lets just hope we don't break this resolution... atleast not in the way we usually do... have to give it a try atleast!
Anyway sleep does help... it has helped me even in situations which really were very hard to get over...
Some memories should be left to savour... while some are better forgotten... if only we could...
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