I_Me_Myself

Time is as uncertain as life..

Suddenly at the stroke of midnight when the nation was sleeping, my insomnia accompanied me and the devil's workshop started its work...

Human mind is very fragile and temporary they say, so if one day someone asks me or someone else about me, that how I was, there should be an answer to that question...

Hence, I decided to list things that are very close to my heart and which best describe me...This will obviously exclude my closest people.....For that matter it won't include anyone....Only things and feelings with which I feel alive....

And since it is not that small a list, if I happened to forget something, I will definitely edit and add it.....

It's something which will be a looking back place for my old self...becauze you never know, I may forget myself someday..... (The Ghazni effect one can say; the movie, not the ruler)

PS : some of them I used to do..Some I still do... And many are there which I haven't ...Ever..Till now.... :)

---

Jazz. 

Guitar. 

Classical music. 

Books. 

Smell of bookstore. 

MY pillow. 

Sweets. 

Ma er cooking.

Aroma of tea. 

Sound of ocean waves. 

Moonlit sea beach. 

Candles.

French windows.

Thunderstormy night. 

Autumn. 

DDLJ. 

VeerZara ~the music specially.

Letters to Juliet.

The Holiday.

I can't cry in front of everyone and known to find negetive things in every aspect to ruin it before it could ruin me....I am my worst enemy emotionally speaking, because I try to control every situation... That's why, I tend to escape in romantic comedy movies which have happy endings...

Old pages of diary. 

Wooden floor. 

Smell of approaching rain. 

Winds. 

Camera. 

Photos~ hard copy (yes I'm old school). 

SRK. 

Mustard yellow (sarson ka khet ofcourse). 

Breakfast dates. 

Dance (not that I can). 

Roads with trees on its side.

Aimless walks.

Real Conversations. 

Stupid conversations. 

Talking without thinking (with people whom you can depend on, with your life). 

Bike rides. 

Kal ho na ho theme (one of the very few things which makes me cry).

Sound of dry leaves. 

Old monuments.

Sea cliffs.

Genuine laughters

Standing outside during the kalbaisakhi and inhale all the dust that brings with it the essence of the approaching mangoes...

Nachos

.....<3

#TheUnattainableDistance

|| Once upon a time, oceans were crossed and several kilometers did not matter;

Then one day, came a time, when a distance of around 5 kilometers could not be covered...||

...sometimes; just sometimes distance is not the bad guy!.. 

#StayBlessed!

The unsaturated journey

I prefer tea to coffee but when it comes to my nostalgia, coffee has a bigger role to play.. (and also because I am a bit of fuss when it comes to tea)

A lot can really happen over a cup of coffee....
After a bad day at college, it was our only destination..
After an exhausting practical, it was our only go-to place..
Be it in a shabby shack or in a sophisticated air conditioned shop, it never failed to support us through our way of gossiping...
Its enigmatic aroma solved half of the day's problem...and used to transform us to a better realm..
Whether in a covert date or just for a catching up session, everything seemed to "just click" over a cup of coffee...

#StayBlessed

MySoulmateOfBooks

It was a fine Sunday morning of the year 1998/1999, I was particularly happy because the previous night my parents had bought one of my favorite books without even me asking for it. It is not that I never asked for anything, but I was never very demanding particularly. It was kept on the dressing table of my parent's room, and I took it with me in my room and slept with it beside my pillow.  The book made me even happier because previous to that week I saw it in my cousin's place and since then I was craving for it.

...continuing with my happy mood, I lied down on my bed after the wonderful breakfast of "luchi-torkari" (a common Sunday Bengali breakfast) with my dearest book and the whole morning went away in a wink. As the afternoon was about to approach, I was approached by my mother first, stating very gently and logically that the particular book which I was reading was not at all for me but for a family friend because it was his child's birthday and we had been invited; but she promised me that she will buy me another copy of it.

Unlike what the Bengali stereotypes suggest I was raised in a family where books were not the first thing that comes to  the mind when gifts was thought of (except for my mother and I), and so in the same way, no one remembered that once upon a time I gave away a book that was dear to me. And honestly for any child of that age the book that contains Collection of stories and poems of Sukumar Roy (Sukumar RachanaSamagra) would be no less that the "Lost Ark".

...but ...as the phrase says Better late than never; she bought it, this time for me, as promised...and that moment was  one of my top 5 happiest moments of life; not just because it is a great book but also because I somehow felt that I found a long lost friend after 15 years.

Since then, I have read from its cover to cover for atleast 10 times if not more.
It has been my constant source of laughter and innocence whenever I am upset after a bad day or just missing my old self. It provides a sense of calm and belonging that injects in me the purpose and power for waking up tomorrow. It is a lot to expect from a book which is about flying cows, talking cat and giraffe headed lions, but then, it is one of a kind!

Today it is the 130th birthday of this amazing Indian Bengali humorous poet, story-teller, painter, playwright, cartoonist and a whole form of institution that lived in Bengali literature.

A very happy birth-anniversary to  Sukumar Roy...
He came....He made us laugh....He went! And no matter where he is today, I am sure, he still is continuing with his work............

Thank you for giving us a wonderful childhood, which still resides in each of us and will dwell there forever!

#StayBlessed

The burnt bridges

When you have covered a considerable portion of your life, you are eligible of thinking the bridges you have burnt, the people you have hurt, the relations you have trampled....

But no matter how much you re live the past, you cannot erase what you have crossed...and honestly, you knew then also that it will never be the same....

Yet I somehow know that, there remains a pair of eyes....a gal and a guy, who knew me better then me.....

Yet I write,

Because everyday I fight,

With me, for you...

...And I wish you didn't mean,

Everything...

For I could only pray, beyond the oceans, that you stay the guardian angel as you always have been...

#StayBlessed

Indifferent!

Life will give you numerous moments to loose your temper..

To bring out the worst version of you...

To react to people's indifference...

...Specially when you are down..

...Don't give those people the pleasure of the particular reaction which they are expecting..

People assume when they don't have the facts..And you are not responsible to lay all your cards on the table...because no matter what, people will assume whatever will deem them comfortable, which is okay because everyone is fighting their battle and trying to survive. 

The only concern you should have is to how you behave especially at a time when you are most vulnerable...

The only thing that will matter in years to come will be what kind of a person you have been your entire life...We all have our meltdowns, the important thing is to channelise those so that knowingly we don't hurt anyone....

Even if you do not succeed a couple of times, never stop trying..For your inner peace, if not for anything else!

People don't remember lavish things but always remember how you made them feel..

Don't make anyone else's indifference towards you make you a different person! ☺️

#StayBlessed

Dugga_Dugga

Durga Pujo is not just a festival, it's a cocktail of emotions..Because She is not only the goddess but a family member who once a year visit us with her children and then return to her in-laws after 10 days in Kailash Parvat..

Over the years memories have been made at this time of the year..
Gathering of old friends...Making of new ones...Exploring new roads...Getting lost in the crowd together...Enjoying a hot cup of tea at 2 in the morning...
All these feelings and nostagias add to her home coming which makes it special and even more difficult to bid her adiue....
#TravelSafe #TillNextTime

#StayBlessed

Down the memory lane

Life started here..
Over the years, everything changed. Building, campus, surroundings, playground.

The school grew and with it, we did as well.

But walking for the first time through a door and witnessing a room full of benches and desks and blackboard and strange faces staring at each other; never new that those will be a part of me and the four walled room will be the world for the coming 14 years of my life.

I got my first guy friend here.
I got my first hand made greeting card here.
I got scared here.
I got bullied here.
And even I got saved here.
I argued with my closest friends,
I played with them.
I fell down and yet stood up with a brave face, hiding my blood soaked socks and helped my friend to get first aid as she was also bleeding heavily.
I came to know that teachers can be friends too.
Whooshing through the knee deep of flood water, enjoyed a rainy day, by playing in the classroom all day through.

Buying new notebooks from the counter to eating from the school canteen;
From grudgingly attending a class because none of my friends were there, to sharing news of my new born baby brother; there are unending memories entangled with each and every brick of this building.
No matter what happens to it in due course of time, it will always be the most exciting 6 years of my childhood!

#StayBlessed

Faces

Faces in a coffee shop:

There's a girl who is sitting in a corner table like me, engrossed in the mobile like me....And...aaahh, she finally got a call from someone she was expecting it seems. Her smile says it all.

The table beside me has a group of people who are arguing about something very serious in a frolicking manner. I overheard the word investment and startup. May be they are finally pitching in a business idea and moving on from the job which was sucking out the life from inside them.

Then there is the typical corner table where a couple is all mushy in their discussion.
They don't interest me. So moving on.....

A group of friends arguing about who will pay the bill and eventually everyone is contributing.
.....Problem solve?!!
Not exactly....Because now they are arguing about who will get up to place the order.....
..Hmmmm...
I know the feeling :)

And there's a gentleman with the same cup of tea as mine with a Agatha Christie novel. He seems like someone I can smile at....

........................... :)

He smiled back :D

Suppressing my excitement......and taking the last sip.....

 ....I think it's enough for today. 

All those happy faces will get me through the rest of the day....

#keepsmiling 

#happyblogging

#stayblessed 

OneOfTheGroggyDays

There are good days when you like everything and everyone. And there are bad days when you don't even like yourself and realize that you need a good cup of darjeeling tea even if you are sitting in a "coffee" shop.
And the day eventually brightens when you sip on it and feels like you can see the undulating lush green monsoon landscape in front of your eyes, even if you are several kilometers away from it.
It certainly feels like home!

#teaholic
#lovefortea

#StayBlessed

OddAlways

Don't try to fit in when you are meant to stand out in the crowd and be unique. 

The one's who matters won't mind and the one's who mind doesn't matter. 

Tradition has nothing to do with what you wear or how you dress. It is the fact that how one values another person inspite of their difference in opinion. 

The term being traditional has been misused far too long for people to understand that it's not something to show off, but something that should be inside. 

It is better to respect people and be yourself, rather than being politically correct in front and bitch about them at their back. 

It is better to offend someone by your true self than fighting within yourself everytime you face them. 

There's always two options in life. 

The right one and the easy one. 

Choose wisely!

No one is going to stand for your belief. Be your own knight. 

#StayBlessed

Sleepless

Scientific and pseudo scientific communities have given so many reasons when you can't sleep.

Where is one when you need it?!

Mind is a weird place. It does what it's train to do best. What comes easy to it. Rebel and be itself.  

While other parts of you do what they are rationalized to do. 

This tug of war is  calmed by music. For a short period of time. 

Happy sleeping to the other side of the world and Goodmorning to the rest.  :)

#StayBlessed

Time in a bottle

MidnightMonsoon

Untiring white noise of the rain over the weekend kept me awake,

The whistling of the winds moving across the trees made me realize that I was not the only one to be wide awake in that ghostly hour. 

If you listen very carefully to the stillness of the night, the silence holds as much chaos as one witnesses on a crowded street.

The monsoon is very head strong this year, it seems that it has something to prove.

Apparently, it is bringing joy and a sense of peace to everyone around, everyone who depends on it; when I looked intently, I saw nothing but a sense of haste to exhaust its vigor so that all can be over soon, and it is relieved of all the expectations that have been put in it.

When the world was enjoying the cozy hug of the slumber, I interacted with the crisp drops for a long time. My phone kept on pinging.

May be someone somewhere had things to share, like me..

Yet unlike me, caffeine was not the reason for doing the same..

I did nothing!

I stared at the drops and felt their desperation to come to an end, on my face

I did nothing!

..and someone rightly said that, sometimes doing nothing can be the hardest thing you can do!

...and I did nothing!

The same balcony which was soaking last night, is sun-kissed today.

The rain had their peace at last. Some seem satisfied while some can never be satisfied, even if you exhaust yourself.....

...but today it's not their turn to worry about...

The blue sky with cotton clouds took over the world today....

 

#WelcomeAutumn

#MyFavorite

#StayBlessed

WorkOfArt

Very few people have the courage to follow their passion to the extreme extent of giving their whole life in it.
Here is someone.
Below is a link I am sharing of his work. It is a sincere request to people who read my blog to spent few second to explore the wonderful world of this artist.

Introducing MR. SUBHASHISH MITRA ...
True artist beyond words in terms of truthfulness towards his art!
He is currently a New Delhi based freelance commercial artist, originally from Kolkata.

Appreciate & share his work all across the world & possess one of his beauty.
Do show your love by bringing his paintings..
Knowing him personally, I can assure that you will immediately become rich by the kind of work this gentlemen invent !

My Dream

#StayBlessed

(In photo: Mr.Subhashish Mitra, in one of his art exhibitions)

GiveToGet

If you know the feeling of not getting,

Give someone who is longing...

If you know the feeling of leaving

Stay for the person who loves you...

If you know hunger

Give someone the happiness of food...

If you know the feeling of unloved

Give love to someone who's worthy....

If you know the feeling of getting abondoned

Pamper someone who looks upto you...

If you didn't find the person you are looking for in your life

Be that person yourself instead...

Life is too short to wait for your turn..

Instead, be there for someone to end their wait....

Everyone is fighting their own battle,

If you couldn't find a safe ground for yourself, 

Be one for someone else.....

I strive to be someone I can be proud of.

I intend to be someone whose memory can calm people and bring smile to their faces rather than making them restless. 

....And the effort will continue till my soul gets tired and give up on me. 

...Hope I can make it on time!

#StayBlessed

Soul_searching!

More than tiring body parts and chronic diseases, I think people die because their souls get exhausted.
Throughout our lives, we learn to invest our souls through emotions, in people, in work, in expectations.
Not everything turns out the way we plan.
People leave, work gets disrupted, expectations not met....
With every incomplete actions, a part our soul gets worn away.
That wrenching pain inside our chest, is nothing but the wounds of our souls,  experienced when things doesn't go our way.

Still people hope and invest. Smile.

Sitting in a hospital and witnessing pain around pushes one to think how fragile life is.
You will never know when the soul will get tired of trying...and will give up.
Live each day....
..Because you have something, someone else is craving for...
Time!....Use the most of it to build a better version of your life.

#StayBlessed

রবি ঠাকুরের জন্য (for~Rabindranath Tagore)

আকাশের মুখ ভার। আজ চলে গেছিলে তুমি নিজের ভিতরের সব টুকু দিয়ে।
যা দিয়ে গেলে তাই দিয়ে এখনো বছর ঘোরে আমাদের। আজও তোমার লেখা দিয়েই নিজের না বলা কথা গুলো সবার সামনে আনি।

যা দিয়ে গেলে তার যে শেষ নেই।

বাইশে শ্রাবণ

তমার জন্য

#ভাল_থেকো

#TheTimeSpent

There were handful of people with whom I have shared all insecurities and ugliness of my adulthood,

Yet there was not a pinch of judgment, whenever they found out…
The conversation on the terrace with wind accompanying us, and the envied Sun, setting at our back wondering when would the sun of our friendship set;

It didn't. It hasn't...well I guess, not yet!...

The long calls, when the first time I was away from home, to keep me encouraged,

All the laughters that we shared made me a little less estranged…

The park bench, the steaming cup of tea, the first of many long drives, and the shopping spree,

There were more in those moments than we realized it among all the excitement and glee…

Cooking together, and eating it anyway,

Because we were our biggest critics but made sure the world knows that our love for each other were not to sway…

Arguing about all the little things, yet at the end of the day, we were each others’ feel good kit,

The discussions about life, the frustration of not having one, we didn't realize we were living it…

Who cared about dating when the first drunken texts were always in the group to share,

And then life happened, it’s not always fair…

Moments of those memories, were captured and today adorning my shelf,

Those were the people with whom I could be myself…

=====================================

And then there were people who taught me how to live,

..when you said,"When no one is around it’s the self you have to believe."

Handling my tantrums in the middle of the night,

Breaking out in laughter in the middle of a fight.

Searching for a midnight snack in someone else' room was our only passion,

And then there was cracking of jokes in a supposedly study session.

Pulling an all-nighter just to watch, already seen movies, but we didn’t mind,

And then there was the incident of our real life action sequence while trying to make it on time so that we weren’t fined.

From cutting my first ever birthday cake to having the first surprise party of my life,

Without you not one day I would have sufficed.

=====================================

Drenching in the monsoon, and taking trips into the greenery, that was a time when I actually found myself lost in the scenery.

The complexity of life when hit hard and grounded me low,

You were there to teach me to care about the world less as time will go.

“Choose your fights and stick to it, because no one will fight it for you”, you said,

You taught me more than the any syllabus could ever have.

 The nature walks, the tear and smile,

The sessions, in the open canteen, are the reasons that I could walk today an extra mile.

======================================

All the roads that we walked..

All the tea that we sipped..

All the air that we breathed..

All the trouble that we leaped..

All the song that we sang..

All the dreams that we seen..

All the promises that we made..

Will be fulfilled….

Friendship is a small word for a relation so strong..

Thank you for choosing me and I apologize for anything that I did wrong..

Distance never mattered, neither will it today,

Some parting are not real but for good they say.

If ever possible I will choose you, in every life, every time in a row,

You may know nothing but my life became a bit easier For you and you already know.

#withYou_always
#ForTheOneAndAll

#StayBlessed

Dreamcatcher

Nature is a profound teacher. 

Dream catchers of twigs, sinew, and feathers have been woven since ancient times by Ojibwa people. They were woven by the grandfathers and grandmothers for newborn children and hung above the cradle-board to give the infants peaceful, beautiful dreams.

It is said that he night air is filled with dreams. Good dreams are clear and know the way to the dreamer, descending through the feathers.

The slightest movement of the feathers indicated the passage of yet another beautiful dream. 

Bad dreams, however, are confused and confusing. They cannot find their way through the web and are trapped there until the sun rises and evaporates them like the morning dew.

                                       ===================================

My latest obsession with dreamcatchers or rather with dreams is for the simple reason that I can not sleep..at least not a peaceful one for the last few months or so..
It might be the amalgamation of my work stress, coping with something new, or some sub-conscious affair..I don't know..

But for the last few days, I have read every book, every article that has been written on dreams and yet did not find any explanation of any sorts. It has just been pointed out that the dreams are the result of too much of brain activity but what initiate that is still a mystery!
Some say that dreams are the dormant desires of our heart..
Some say it shows the future (it's not very pleasant if that's the case I must say).

Some article says that it is the portal to some other world that exists parallel to us.

The third explanation of the parallel universe theory has been found in many articles, but science could not prove its real existence for obvious reasons.

I am neither an atheist nor a staunch believer..I have always been infamous for being grey..because I believe that too much of anything is bad! ( and I have been proven right too many times to stop beveling in that theory)

So, in my quest for the reasons of a disturbed sleep, I came across this dream catcher. It is not that I want all of them to go away, but at times it is really tiring to wake up in a trans wondering where I am..

I have not yet acquired one but saw many available online.

This article is for all of you who feels exhausted even after sleeping.

We all have demons of our own, some we like to keep, some we don't. Whatever the case may be, there is no harm in trying one such. 

It is said that the dreamcatcher enables you to have a goodnight sleep and keeps the bad dreams away from you which interrupts in your REM cycle ( Rapid Eye Movement cycle or the phase of dreaming). 

Lack of sleep can be as bad as being fatal to one, so I wish all of you out there to have a goodnight sleep, always!

#StayBlessed

DiaryOfA_NotSoYoungGirl

There's a difference between taking life as it comes to you and living it. 

It's different when you plan one day at a time and when you plan life as you want it to be. 

The former is a necessity while the latter is a luxury.

The former is for the ones who are the rules, the latter for those who are the exceptions to those rules. 

No matter how hard you try, there will remain unfinished businesses..

..So choose your standing and try to have closure for everything you stand for....

.....Don't reach out for the things you left unfinished.

There's a good chance that you left those for a reason.

...You left those because they could have destroyed you (both mentally and emotionally). 

Happy endings depend on where you choose to end your story...

.....so leave it or live it...

I have always been a control freak. A creature of habit when it comes to my life, which includes people I love. I have lost many. Still I'm breathing. May be there's a reason. 

I'm no exception. Never was. I'm the rule. The crowd. The Ordinary! 

It took me a lot of therapy to come to this realization that there are certain things which I can't control when it comes to life. 

I have my own coping mechanism, but I'm still a work in progress. It's a lesser known fact; nonetheless, it's a fact. 

Be your own savior. It's life. No knight in shining armor is going to come to help you unless you help yourself. 

Talk..

Write..

Create something of your own..

If you have chosen to live one day at a time, so be it..

...Survive. Sometimes that's enough!

#LifeAsWeKnowIt

#StayBlessed

The Look!

||..The one which simultaneously, wonders about how a stranger can figure out the inside track,
and realizes that from this day onward everyone will be looked at; differently....||

#EyesSayItAll
#LookSoFamiliar
#StayBlessed!

BestFriendForever

For the last two weeks, I have been thinking about it, but failed each time when I tried to transform them into words. It seldom happens and believe me it is very frustrating when you cannot put your feelings into words (a writer’s frustration of sorts).

In a world of temporary feelings and permanent regrets; a world where picture changes like a slideshow in our minds; where livings are forgotten easily because we are the human race (pun intended),  I have always admired their friendship. A love so pure, a pain so genuine, that every time I see her display picture in a social media, I find myself yet again on that fateful night when the tragedy occurred.

                    ----------------------------------------------------------

In the year 2007, it was Soumita di who was the first senior to tell me that I had been selected for Miss Fresher (having no idea how or why).
Having heard stories of hostel life, and ragging, the first month of my first year of graduation was spent in fear of the seniors; so for me to be selected in an event which needed a bit of feminine quality astounded me pleasantly; I have always been far from being a female (behaviorally speaking), let alone having a feminine quality, so much so that I had to borrow a nice attire from my roommate to go up to the stage.

Having said so, the first moment when I felt at ease in a strange environment, among strange people was when one senior came up to me and with her super soothing smile said that I was selected, I was too dumbstruck to ask any follow up questions, but that tap on my head and a smile which reached her eyes made me realize that everything will be fine henceforth.

We interacted many times throughout my first year in events like Janmasthami (birth anniversary of Lord Krishna) and the very popular university fest called Spandan; but sadly not much in my second year, because of the separate hostels and also because they were busy, that being their final year of graduation. Though we had different specialized subjects, it never made her forget me as she always used to wave and smile at me anytime when we crossed paths in the college corridors.

Time flew past. And one day in the year 2009, in my final year of graduation, I heard the news that she was ill..very ill..and was admitted to the university hospital (as she was pursuing her post-graduation degree from the same university itself).

My roommate and I with few of our other batch-mates rushed to visit her, only to find her in an unspeakable condition. I could still visualize the room of SSL (Sir Sundar Lal hospital) where she was semi conscious may be, thumping her right leg at intervals and was restless, as if, was in a hurry to leave it all. I was shivering at the sight thinking how can something like this have happened?!?!
The jolly and ever chattering Soumita di was silent and was in pain. I remember coming out of the room with mixture of inexplicable feelings.

After a month or so, most of the girls in my hostel went home for the study leave as our final examinations were approaching, including my roommate. Very few of us used to stay back during that leave, that year being no exception.
It was severely cold outside, a night of January 2010, when someone knocked on my door; a girl from my specialization class, she opened the door and just nodded her head saying, “Did you hear about Soumita di……..?!!!”….and nothing else…
…..she closed the door and went away… It was more the news and less the wind blowing outside that made me cold and still… I do not know how long was I sitting on at the edge of my bed; stunned!

I could think of nothing except the time I first met her and the last time I saw her. The contradictory picture of two incidents hurricaned my mind all throughout the night.

                  -----------------------------------------------------------

It was a time of no prominent social media, at least not prominent enough to be easily accessed, but years later I saw her picture on a popular social media site. 

Banjot di, who was one of her best friends and was sadly not present there when the tragedy occurred, made her display picture in a way where both of them appear.

Every year till this one she has wished Soumita di on her birthday and mourned on her death anniversary through her writing. She pens down wonderfully, all her love and pain, for her deceased friend in a way that makes her alive for some time. 

Today Banjot di is an established person making a difference in work she does, but never has she forgotten to express her love for, possibly, her only best friend.

It has been quite some time that this year Banjot di celebrated Soumita di’s birthday with some of the school children who are may be less fortunate and gave the phrase “BestFriendForever” a different and divine meaning.

Yet again a mixture of inexplicable feelings engrossed me but this time it had a positive vibe and I found myself tearing up in front of a computer screen.

Not many who are alive receive such love and admiration.

Banjot di, I have never had a chance to talk to you one on one; nevertheless I will take this opportunity to let you know that I am proud of you and not everyone can do what you have done. May be it is a small thing for you but Soumita di is lucky to have a friend like you. Wherever she is, I know a part of her is left with you.

Thank you for making the world a better place and keeping an endangered relation like friendship alive in this uncertain world.

Some feelings do not require names, I am experiencing one of such.
...sometimes it is more than enough to know that people exist who know that love is timeless..
If both of you ever read this, I just want to let you know that I consider myself luckiest to have known you people in my lifetime...

#A_Dedication

#StayBlessed

#RestInPeaceWhereverYouAre

||Image courtesy: Facebook||

#Weekend_With_HBFF

|| #HBFF or the Hyderabad Bengali Film Festival that was held from 30th June to 2nd July this year, celebrated the world of cinema and the exchange of culture through the silver screen.

The film festival was started by a community called Bengalis In Hyderabad (BIH).
The members of team #HBFF who resides in the city of Hyderabad, which is so far away from the city of the bengali cinemas, Kolkata, simply ignored the geographical boundaries when it came to host and uphold the rich culture of the Bengal and Bengalis in front of the country.

It is India's first and world's third such Film Festival that celebrates Regional Cinema.

In its 4th year HBFF witnessed an overwhelming response from both the film makers and the viewers respectively.
India being a multilingual country, team HBFF introduced 2 critically acclaimed and award winning Telugu(which is the mother tongue of Telangana) movies, as guest language films, from this year onward.
This year the film festival featured 7 Bengali movies, 2 Telugu movies, and one documentary about Satyajit Ray's detective character Feluda, in the occasion of the character turning 50 this year.

A bunch of hard working individuals, commendably and smoothly organized the said event for the fourth time in a row which itself is a wonder considering that every one of them has a regular primary job in complete different fields.

I came to know about BIH through a social medium. With my utter astonishment, within a few days I got a  call from one of the founding member of BIH for joining their organizing team for this colossal event, even though I missed the first meeting.
I had never done anything like this before in my life, but that did not seem to be of any concern to them. I am and will always be grateful for giving me this opportunity and letting me in on this project.

From day one of the team meeting till the last day of the presentation ceremony, I met people who are not only friendly but knew how to make an outsider at ease.
More importantly, no one ever thought twice before entrusting me with any responsibility, smaller or bigger! which amazingly increased my confidence.

Each and every team did their job not because they were assigned to it but they loved doing them.
It was an amazing feeling considering I knew nothing of managing an event or for that matter anything remotely related to it.

Now coming to my ulterior motive, you know because everyone is selfish, I wanted to be a part of team HBFF not only because I was new to the city and practically knew no one else but also because as a movie lover I was excited to watch some of the wonderful movies, which I missed, being outside of Bengal for quite sometime.

Although I could not watch everyone of it, yet I managed to watch quite few of them.

Life, like people, runs on grey scale. There is no one who is all good or all bad. In life also, we face situations, events which brings out the grey version of people. There is shadow just opposite to light, in the same way, if we accept the good in people or things, we ought to accept the bad as well.
All the movies , which are selected this time, has this factor in common. Be it any character or story or the whole movie itself.
Nothing in life is black and white. If you found something which is; it is either not real or you are in denial.

At the end of the wonderful three days journey, I came back with not only memories of good cinemas, but the satisfaction of knowing good people which includes all the actors, directors and technicians of all the above movies. From watching them on screen to interacting with them, it was once in a lifetime experience as some of them are National award winners while others are PadmaShree awardee.

After an amazing weekend, sitting alone in my room seems a little less scary...because in this strange city, now there are people and faces which are a little less strange to me...||

Following are the movies which are shown and their gist.

Bengali features included:

Tope (The Bait):

It was the inaugural film. Tope is directed by the ace filmmaker & poet Shri BuddhadebDasgupta. An adaptation of Narayan Gangopadhyay’s renowned short story, “Tope” is an engrossing celluloid narrative which depicts the desperate struggle of fading royalty to once again rise to prominence. 

Bishorjon:

A timeless tale of forbidden love which seeks to rise above all adversities. A Muslim man (Abir) washes up on the Bangladesh side of the Ichhamati and is rescued by a Hindu widow (Jaya), and her watchful suitor (Kuashik).
The story revolves around the characters showing that how their present scenarios are the result of their past which ultimately helped their escape into the future. The film won the National Award in 2017, as the Best Feature Film in Bengali.

Asamapto: (Incomplete)

Filmmaker Suman Mukhopadhyay’s “Asamapto” is an adaptation of ace litterateur ShirshenduMukhopadhyay’s “AschorjoBhromon”. The film adopts a multi-dimensional approach to the nuances of relationships and asks various questions on what makes an union tick. Love is multi dimensional and without a definition.
Sometimes the closure of anything incomplete is in its incompleteness itself.

Abby Sen:

“Abby Sen” delves into the realm of sci-fi which becomes instrumental in showcasing the film’s take on the concepts of success, competition, acceptability and a struggle to find recognition with revolutionary ideas. No matter how misfit we are, each and everyone of us has been given a particular time to complete our chores in life.

Peace Haven:

Three men, in their seventies, observe one of their friends being cremated before his son could arrive from abroad to perform the last rites of his father. Troubled by the idea that they’ll meet the same fate as there’s no mortuary which could preserve their remains long enough for their children to arrive from afar, the three friends set out to build a mortuary by themselves.
Death being the protagonist, one also realizes that there is a no prominent line between life and death. In a world of rat race, the realization that we are living only comes  when death knocks at the door for us.

Bibaho Diaries:

The movie deals with subtleties of urban life and its manifold dimensions.
Ritwick Chakraborty works hard to hold a struggling theater group together in his dream of becoming the modern UtpalDutt.
Sohini Sarkar plays his wife, as the couple bickers about their differences and finds joy and comfort in things they love, the viewers come to realize that as far as modern marriages are concern, it can never be a smooth ride of black and white.

BombaiyerBombete:

It starts when the film adaptation of Jatayu’s novel is being made in Bombay, the film takes us on a thrilling ride as Feluda and team chase down hardened criminals.

Feluda: 50 Years of Ray’s Detective: (documentary)

This 111 minute-long film, directed by Sagnik Chatterjee, will be the first Indian documentary that will pay a tribute to a fictional detective character created by Satyajit Ray over 50 years ago. This film is an effort to ensure that the legacy of Feluda is preserved for eternity.

In Telugu features, there were two movies:

PelliChoopulu (Matchmaking):

A reflection of modern society which often looks down upon dreams and creativity, this romantic comedy depicts a heartwarming tale of two young people finding each other and also their true calling in life in the process. Winner of 2 National Award in 2017.

NaaBangaruThalli (My Dearest Daughter):

A hard-hitting story that is provoking, shocking, yet, tender. Written and directed by Rajesh Touchriver, the film was co-produced by M.S Rajesh and Dr. Sunitha Krishnan, who is an internationally renowned anti-trafficking crusader. Through the traumatic trials of a family for which the world suddenly turns upside down one day, “NaaBangaruTalli” exposes the sex trafficking industry and seeks to open our eyes to it. It also questions a lot of social values and points at the opportunistic predators who hide themselves behind facades of honesty. This film own many national and international awards including the Rajatkamal and Best Background Score in 2014.
More importantly, every aspect in this movie was the exact reflection how it had happened in real life.
I had the good fortune to watch this movie, and personally speaking there are very few movies which give me goosebumps, this has been included in that rare lot.

#HBFF2017
#GratitudeToAll

#StayBlessed

#TillNextTime

~with director Buddhadeb Dasgupta and Sohini Dasgupta, Hall Management Team (screen 2)

#TeamHBFF2017

....The Boy Who Lived

||...And the journey to the magical world started from here.
  ...Journey of my childhood praying each day for the arrival of my Hogwarts' letter.
  ...Journey which made me believe that being ordinary is the best power one can ever have.
  ..Journey that made me believe that even in the darkest of places, love prevails.
  ...Journey which taught me that my soul can be found in people and things I love.
  ...Journey which made me realize that there are heroes in disguise who will protect us in silence...
  ...A Journey in which I will embark each time with same enthusiasm. And if someone wonders how long will I cherish my love for it, the answer will be...
       ..Always!!..||

#20yearsofHP #POTTERHEADS #ALWAYS #THANKYOU_JK_ROWLING

#StayBlessed

Crowd_srfing

The  soul essence of any city lies in its older parts, a small gali foodjoint can surprise you pleasantly, than a branded multicuisin restaurant.
If you can compromise the air conditioned factor for sometime, the city of kebabs will indulge you in a series of locally prepared delicasis, which will open up some of your dormant taste buds.
The energy, authenticity and vigour of the city of Nizam showed a different face of festivity here in this part of the country at this time of the year!!

#StayBlessed

TheJourney

|| Sometimes we have to travel far enough to find ourselves.
Sometimes only when we loose ourselves completely, do we find our ways.
From a distance, everything is clear.
It is only from a mountain top, can we enjoy the view of the entire valley.
So, travel because human beings are meant to explore.
...Places which are forbidden.
...Through the road less travelled.
...Onto the places which are uninhabited.
...May be then one can find something which are hidden from the crowd's eyes....
A destination which will be worth every pain of the journey......||

#DearDiary
#StayBlessed
#PaceOut

ToThePictures

|| The sparkling eyes with effortless smiles,

The gleeful face which goes extra mile.

The story of a day, what else can I say,
Hours in rain or basking in the last of the sun's ray.

Amidst the waves and the place where the water falls,
Thank God the moments stopped for a second to capture the life calls.

The four walls have changed, not the souls inside,
May be the hustling of the days have changed but not the silence of the nights.

Years change, we still remember the name,
Even if I can touch them, they can't feel the same.

Zombie-ing around, the soul less eyes can't see,
..There will always be, your horcrux in me..

Looking at them with blurred vision of sorts..

..I realized that pictures do speak more than one can ever hear from words. ||

#StayBlessed