Like A Bridge Over Troubled Waters....

2009-09-19T09:48:00.000-07:00

On Mahalaya

The earliest impressions of Mahalaya takes me back down memory lane.

The night before Mahalaya,I followed the routine of reminding my parents to wake me up at the exact time the Philips Two in One stereo came to life emanating the melodious voice of Birendra Kishore Bhadra as part of the special annual program on Akashvani.What usually followed thext morning was my Mom or Dad gently cajoling me to wake up,but somehow I would manage to lose the battle against sleep.I would wake up with a start,try desperately to rub off the sleep from my eyes and then fall back into the bed.Mahisashuramardini had its special effect on my semi conscious state of mind.

Tossing and turning in bed,what finally made me rise was the continuous rhythm of fire crackers being burst at close proximity to my house.It would remind me of the prized possessions of the cache of arms or rather an assortment of chocolate bombs bought a few days back in anticipation of that very day.That was perhaps the incentive I was looking for.It was a time when noise pollution was yet to affect the government or inhabitants of my state.

As I stepped out of the house ,loaded and armed, accompanied by my brother,a thick layer of smoke would greet us outside.The warning about covering the head so as not to catch a cold from the early morning dew would go unheeded.The autumn dew lay around on the grass,and the ground would have a wet feel to it and the air had the smell of sulphur.

Soon we would be joined by a group of friends from the neighborhood each armed to the hilt.There was always a special place of honor for the chocolate bomb which made the loudest noise.

The day was special in so many other ways,it usually marked the onset of a month long break from school.The day I could start devouring the special edition of the Anandamela.Growing up on a diet of Hardy Boys, Tintin and Feluda stories the annual Puja edition of the Anandamela magazine always had a special place in the heart.Almost each day till the magazine was delivered at our door steps, the "Newspaper Chacha" would get a gentle reminder to deliver the Puja edition on time.

Times have certainly changed since then,the last Mahalaya I celebrated was around four years back,in the college hostel,in the company of friends.This year I tried to get up early,not to burst fire crackers,or turn on to Akashvani but just to have a feel of the Mahalayas of the past.The sounds of Mahisahuramardini from the laptop speakers somehow did not have the same effect of the analog recordings played on the All India Radio channel.Perhaps the day has become just another day when we wish our friends through status updates on Facebook/Orkut/Gtalk.

Image Courtesy :www.anandautsav.com

2009-06-07T01:52:00.000-07:00

Disconnect

Imagine being marooned on an isolated island,with two suns shining upon you, but you have found a cool shade .The only means of communication is through a highly noninteractive medium ,often referred to as an idiot box.Yes, you can reach out to people ,there is a device lying around which allows you to communicate but only at a certain cost.Somehow my days begun to fell incomplete.I had not realised the perils of spending time in a world sans the world wide web.I could not open my laptop and just hit the shortcut for Firefox and explore the depths of the web.

Nearly 4 days pass by,you cannot follow the updates on your Google Reader feeds,cannot browse the incidents of extreme importance being broadcasted by your buddies in facebook/ orkut,cannot feel the happiness of emptying the overflowing spam folder in your inbox,the unhappiness at not being able to solve the world's problems through discussion over email threads .Then the day comes when you are desperate to jump into the depths of web only to find out out it was all around you and its free but you never realized.

We have a habit of taking things for granted.Things like staying connected to a virtual world become a matter of routine like brushing your teeth or having a bath.

PS: My guest house has a wireless Internet access facility,which I learned only today.

2008-06-29T00:51:00.000-07:00

A piece of Bengal....in the heart of Chennai

Since childhood I have always loved Saturdays,well very few people do not I guess.While in school it was the day that would break the monotony of getting up early,running for the school bus,spending majority part of the day learning some interesting and some not so interesting stuff.In college it was the day I went back home after spending 5 hyperactive days in the hostel with friends.

But since coming to Chennai,the day has a permanent slot marked in the calendar,between say 1 to around 3 in the afternoon.It is the time marked for rejuvenating the taste buds with the food which is closest to my heart.

Hidden in this city is this restaurant called "Annapurna of Kolkata" in Pantheon Road,Egmore which gives respite to hundreds of people from the eastern fringes of the country.With a pan shop,which sells Ananda Bazaar Patrika at the entrance,it reminds you the eateries back home.Believe me, Chennai is totting with quite a large number of restaurants and eateries serving food termed North Indian,but which generally do not serve anything which has slight resemblance with Bengali cuisine.

My first visit to he place could hardly be termed memorable ,I found that almost the entire bengali population in Chennai had decided to descend upon the place to celebrate the Bengali New Year.After waiting for eternity to find a place ,we gave up the idea and moved on to another of those North Indian restaurants.Its been a year and a half since then.....

Annapurna is the place to savour the best "chingri malai curry","vetki paturi","rui kaliya","sorshe ilish"....and the not so common "hans dim kosha" or the "macher dimer bora".The preparation of these delicacies is sure to satisfy the taste buds of most hardened Bengali gourmets .The only complaint I have about the place is its size,since it becomes increasingly difficult to find a table on saturday or sunday afternoon.

There are several restaurants in Chennai,around the Bengali Youth hostel near Chepauk on Wallajhah Road,which claim to serve Bengali food,but one or two visit to these eataries is enough to establish how tall these claims are.So if you are in Chennai for some reason or the other and yearn for some good quality Bengali food Annapurna is the place to be.

PS:Legend has it ,that when the great Mithun Da was in Chennai for shooting of the film,Guru, he had his lunch delivered from the very place.

2006-10-28T04:16:00.000-07:00

A different Diwali !!

It was indeed a Diwali with a difference....A Diwali spent miles away from home.. In our quest to do things differently we(friends) set out on a journey in quest of an elusive flower which blooms once only in 12 years in the Nilgiri range....Our search amidst minimal planning first took us to Thekkady(Periyar Tiger Reserve),thanks to the driver not knowing the actual road to our destination Munnar, .Munnar in one word is an awesome place...Thugh we missed the Neelakurinjhi in all its glory (full bloom)it was an enchanting experience none the less..... To view the snaps ......click on the albums below

2006-10-28T04:03:00.000-07:00

In God's own Country

Around Munnar

Periyar Lake

2005-11-06T00:57:00.000-08:00

An Overview Of Life...............

I donot know what got me into this blogging business....,perhaps the insistence of two of my very close friends,
To put your thoughts down in writing is a difficult task in itself,harder still is to present a coherent picture into the intricacies of the ever wandering mind,for my mind does wander (normal though I guess,it is),and keeps visiting the past pages of an endless journey through "life"itself,and often contemplates the future............
Though as an individual I like living in the present,but the present day brings with it a set of life's problems for one to solve.....
But these are not actually problems,but another chapter to that travelogue called "LIFE",or just another episode to that soap opera called "LIFE"

2005-11-05T22:29:00.000-08:00

For Your Eyes Only....................
Sikkim