Hi Grand Pa! Biased or missed me..

This is the same place, yes, I am talking about my hometown Kolkata, that was where I saw the first light of this beautiful world and by god’s choice in a Bengali family and that was a very orthodox Hindu family too. My granny and aunts used to perform many pujas but those were early Kolkata days. Life was very different that time. I remember my brother was having a Muslim friend who used to stay near by, on examination days before leaving both used to had there food together in our house. Only difference was that my brother used to have his food inside and his friend sitting outside. What a terrible thing? Again, my Granny, during one of those riots helped them to certain extent to get away from all troubles, so I do not blame my granny for those entire things; she was a prisoner of the system at that time. Finally, 99% of those thirty three million gods and goddess deserted me or I deserted them, when I moved to Jammy (Jamshedpur) but still somehow and somewhere hounded by those feelings and presence of those idols in the temples around me.

My encounter with Christianity started when I moved to Mumbai. A few Christian and Jews families were staying in the same building where I used to stay that time. My next door neighbour was itself a Roman Catholic form Goa and it was the beginning my long association with Christianity. The neighbour’s daughter was little older than me and a teacher by profession, even there was a huge gap between the two cultures of our upbringing, we bonded instantly and our long lasting friendship started from there. I fell for the way they pray and the discipline in the church and started visiting churches. That time onwards, I was visiting the churches regularly. Visited almost all famous churches of Mumbai. St Joseph church of Vikhroli was having a regular visitor in me. The famous St. Michael church, Mahim, visiting on Wednesdays Novena was nostalgia. St. Anthony Church, Sion and a few churches of Bandra. Liked most of those mid-night masses on Christmas, New Year and Easter eve. While returning from Mid-Night masses, it was all masti (enjoyment), always bought a few crackers which known as Patki-Bomb, sold just outside the church itself, to burst those crackers you need not required a matchstick just throw hard it on the ground as you do when you break a coconut and it make a loud noise while hitting the ground. While coming back from mid-night masses around 1.30 nights, always used to burst a few near my Hindu friends doorstep. Do not think I was a child that time; I was already my own bread earner. During that period, I enjoyed my Christmas very much. Even when I was in abroad, I visited churches regularly.

This year I bought a huge Christmas tree, this is third one in my collection. Next time most probably my family will throw me out if one more added to these. I decorated and lighted all three and while going to sleep it is always feel good factor for me when I look back at the tiny twinkles on those trees. That is the spirit of Christmas.

Over the year I also find it strange thinking that the most celebrated bringer of gift kept me out from his list. Where are you St. Nicholas? Getting old? Buy a computer, I will write a program for you and it will be a Christmas gift for you.

!!!Santa! Missed me all the way. Getting old? I am waiting for you, just act fast old man, before it is too late…!!!

Alexander Sir! Kudos for three S. Sucked, Suffocated and Strangled by your telephone cord

After Sir Alexander Graham Bell invented this tool long back, has travelled a long distance and come to the ages where we can finally call it ‘walk and talk’. I was calling a friend from a local post office. Surprised? I am talking about the days when I was in school and most probably studying in eight standard. Experience was bit scary; I was very nervous and almost shaking. That was the first time and all first timers for different things will come out with different stories.

Of Course, I will remember Sir Alexander Graham Bell for other thing, he was the person who introduced Helen Keller to a wonderful human named Anne Mansfield Sullivan (Macy) and I feel that magic was even bigger.

When first time I landed in Mumbai (then Bombay), to get a telephone connection you have to bribe the peoples from top to bottom and if you wanted it very fast then the amount of bribe, hold your breath it was something around twenty five thousand, unless you know somebody over there (its always happens yar). Back home Kolkata it was then a prize possession and even in early nineties the telephone in our house was always dead like a cold body lying in the morgue; only difference was that sometime there was a bit sign of life I mean in the instrument which installed and always lying in our sitting room. Early eighties I was calling a friend in Dubai, on those days an ISD call means minimum three hundred rupees. She was Egyptian, English was alien to her, and even I could speak Arabic very fluently but not writing it. When Last time I talked, her chips were down for something and I was speechless for a moment, before I could gather myself telephone line disconnected. So paying 300 bucks every time was not a mater of joke. Today I am armed with seven email accounts, 3 phones and two permanent address but things were very different that time, neither of us were having even a permanent address. After few years, I never able to trace her back, finally I lost a friend due to telephone or due to bill, no due to my misery, still now I try to find her sons in the social networking site. At the stroke of this millennium, one of my client from abroad refused to work with me unless and until I change my internet connection from Dial-Up to lease line. When I gone through the charges of lease line, gosh, I had a very strong heart which survived and strong chair too, it hold me before falling down.

A pager was worse and even more terrifying; no soon, you got a message you have to rush to the nearest booth to make a phone call. Imagine somebody having a bit nice time, at middle of the night in a quite place (every one have the right to do so) and got a pager from wifey.

Thanks to the Internet, the Babu’s at the Telecom office realized that the office and a new connection was not their paternal property.

Finally mobile arrived in India, in beginning it was just a status symbol and occasionally used for an outgoing calls and mostly to those three free numbers which provided by company. Most of the time incoming call remains unanswered.

After Reliance started their operation, a total freedom to incoming calls, and outgoing charges too reduced every day, handset was very reachable. I was happy with my landline but one day I also got mobile with a cell phone and not with Mobil.

After accruing the gadget of course with a lifeline (SIM), I also joined the league of ‘walk and talk’. I love to interact with myself a lot, with a mobile in my hand and while walking down the lane alone can pretend to talk and that too with myself, crazy thing to do, no because –

!!!In this world there is only one who will listen to you constantly and enjoy your smile unconditionally, that is you.!!!

Black or white?

In Kolkata, we were having a helping hand, she worked over 20 years then one day she left because of old age. A few days back while going to work I saw her in the same area, she came all the way and asked ‘Didi Kemon Acho’ (Didi how are you?) and told me how she was severely affected by Aila (Cyclone). Her house is destroyed so once again she have to start all over at this age, my heart felt for her but only this what I can do for her. After she left it was very difficult for us to fill the void, we decided to go wise and tried what I always liked Self-Help-Done. It was not easy as all our family member out by early morning, other work is OK with us but wiping floors was a big problem, around 1200Sq.Ft is not mater of joke, when I was going through all my innovative idea to find a easy way to wipe the floors we finally found a helping hand and very good one. Lady always flashing a beautiful smile and like to chatter a bit, I feel both qualities are belongs to peoples with genuine approach. Anyway it is not about the lady what I am writing today, it is all about what she said last Sunday.

Sunday is the day when I look after the garden and cleaning outside. This how I like to spent my most desirable Sunday mornings. I often bumped to my student while doing the odd jobs, they amused a lot as in Kolkata the attitude more like Have-it-Done then Self-Help-Done, so they even enquire ‘Mam what are you doing?’ I replied ‘I am not earning enough from you, so looking for some part-time and you can call this is an advertisement’. Last Sunday was not a exception and while working backyard, she was washing clothes just told me ‘see Babu’s white socks, how dirty it is, why school never allows black socks, it is not get as dirty as white one.’ Babu means my grand nephew.

Her words stuck to my mind like glue and I was thinking since, this is a new problem with me thinking a lot for nothing and the product of this new virus are these 27 rubbish in my blog and 5 stories of different sizes. Since big debate was going around my mind - is black never getting that dirty? Is it spotless? I always preferred white but spotless and that is not possible so I cannot use it. Still hardly, use black.

Look at those so called developed countries and those fair (white) faces with unfair attitude, once they wanted to rule the world and even started a cold war to prove their superiority and experimented with other weaker countries and even on space and moon (?), and see what mess they made around. These white faces are not spotless, having blood all over their bods. One of the two fallen like nine pins behind the iron curtain and other still is going through the sinister plots. According to their dictionary, we Asian neither black nor white we are either brown or yellow.

I am very big fan of few of those dark skins. Dear MJ, in life and death, I will be always a very big fan of you but your life would have been good without all those cosmetic surgery. You looked awesome in Thriller album. The Flo-Jo and her breath taking appearance in Seoul Olympic, the ‘Fastest women in the earth’ may died eleven years back still living in me. Then there is Jackie Joyner. I will prefer to watch Whoopi Goldberg over ten Sharon Stone or a Denzel Washington to Jude law. Once I was very much awestruck by Marion Jones and Tiger Wood, but all of certain there are so many spot around. What Tiger was doing, after having his soul mate from Sweden (a blonde too), I think he was in blonde exploration expedition.

!!!Its black or white, both can be spotless, you need bit self restrain and courage to overcome the big ‘T’ (Temptation)!!!

Upward bound? Beware of a freefall

I will call myself a big liar if I say I do not want money. Everybody wants money; money gives us huge confidence in our life and in the society where we move around. Money have such power, you can hide all your weakness under the thick layer of it. You can see an evil prayed like a saint, even not at the back at least in front. In Hindi we say “Lakshmi bahut chanchal hai” (Goddess of wealth is very restless). Therefore, enjoying sunshine is good but a thunderstorm cannot be very far away. What happening in Dubai, you call it thunderstorm or sandstorm, but now there is no sand in Dubai, if they need some they have to buy it from somewhere else.

I never enjoyed any of my stint in abroad; I was there because I have to. When I was in Dubai, it was just a virgin gulf state with sands and loads of sands. During my years, we had a two-door Honda car often skipped from the narrow road along the desert and we have to push it back to the road again, it was fun. A tax-free income and tension free life. We even took a ferry from Deira to Par Dubai and other two ways was a Bridge and a tunnel just below Arabian Sea. Scenario was bit confusing, what to do with all the money it earning from oil. That time Sheikh Rashid was the ruler and not his famous sons, so old man kept all his money under his safe hands. But that kind of money from nowhere means lots of confusion, even you hired economist those are best in the business, still it is very tough job.

Looking at Dubai, a small town (may be it was a tiny village before oil exploration), now most glamorous state out of seven Emirates and why Emirates you can count the world too. At that time, when I left it all started. Battery of high profile engineers from other countries started exploring the state, even soil for plantation started coming from aboard.

All things started such way that whole world turned around to look at this tiny state, those artificial beauty and mind-blowing structure. I even heard that there was a plan to build a floating city, existence of balloon is always short. Oil wells were drying down and only hope was for all gulf state to invest such a way so they remain rich. All look well, like wonderful dream, when tourist visited every March for Dubai festival and even lucky one got a Rolls Royce through lucky draw, if you were that lucky, today you may have thirty Rolls in your garage.

When half of the worlds population living below poverty line and really feel sick when looking at those silver cars, golden bathrooms and diamond studded other worthless accessories.

Today, Palm Island sinking without Tsunami and Burj looking down to find its ground than sky. Hope it will survive; otherwise many of our Bollywood stars, starlets and those gun-totting fellas will be orphan, as it was their second home.

Oil wells drying up in gulf may be good sign for world peace, because fund for some deadly activities also dry down. Worried? Trams, metro rails, monorails and Mumbai chi local still can pull you out from all these problems, why not buy a cycle and start learning all over.

!!!Therefore, money, sweet money, is sweeter if it is hard earn and spend well, or you should have a good digestive system, no matter who you are. !!!

Khel Khel mein

Sports and Sporting events was always an integral part of my life. I am a big sport buff in core. Our time it was not that easy to pursuit sports as ones profession and specially for a girl. When I was very young, I played everything with my brothers and neighbours. Everything and the list such as gilli danda, marble, kabbadi and cricket. Big changes came when I move to Jammy (Jamshedpur). The school I used to study was only for the children of Tata employees. That time there were not many schools around Jammy, boys and girls schools were always sharing the boundary. There were three types of school where we have to study – Primary schools only up to 4th standard, then middle school 5 to 7 standard and then finally move to high school. Cycling was started here. When I join my high school apart from other games I was introduced to a very unusual sport, ‘baseball’. It was very new to me because, we hardly used to get any news paper those days, daily dose of bit of news provided to us by a very old radio, which often not ready to response our request.

We had a very unusual teacher, who was incharge of our baseball team as well as mathematics. She pampered me a lot, not because I was very good in sport but because of my maths, it was my favourite subject and always done well.

I can not remember how I selected to my baseball team and for your information the game we played having all, only missing things were protected gears. I used stand behind and often pitched. One my classmate was best hitter I have seen those days and often she used to hit the ball with such a power that just unbelievable. After leaving school, I never got an ideal sport in college, so played bit of badminton, apart from that I missed other sporting activities. At that moment my association with Cricket started, I mean following not playing. During that period, I got few chances to visit Keenan Stadium of Jammy to watch three days matches between visiting international team and Bihar Ranji team.

When I was aboard, played bit tennis and badminton but in Mumbai, I never got a chance to try out my hand on any sport.

Not playing means losing interest, no never. My best pastime is watching all kind of sports; list will be very long, still naming a few– cricket, football, tennis, motor sports, track and field etc.

My favourite sports person – the unbelievable Late Flo-Jo and sis-in-law Jackie Joyner, Carl Lewis, Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi, Michael Schumacher, Lance Armstrong, Valentino Rossi, Ryan Gigs, Rooney, Kaka, Phelps, Michael Jordan and of course Sachin Tendulkar. The only sports which failed to invoke any interest in me is Boxing, so I do not know above list should have the name of Mohammed Ali or not, but it is true that he is an exceptional sports person. Another unusual person from sporting arena whom I really admire is Sir Alex Ferguson.

!!!Even if you do not play, Be Sports! If you play, please leave the dirty one.!!!

Count 1 to 9, your password to enter this country

Visiting aboard? Everybody wants to head towards USA, Europe or may be nation surrounded by pacific sea and Indian Ocean. However, I visited this country and fascinated by everything. I am talking about land of Pharos, Egypt. When I went there, I was young, so I too failed to get the real charm and glamour that generally provided by USA and Europe. Today memories of that visit are just standout from all other.

I was invited by one of my Egyptian colleague, but decision was very difficult one, no, it was not monetary problem. While staying aboard we used to look forward to our yearly leave and just want to come home. Missing home and India for two years on the trot was very tough one. However, thank god finally, I traded my visit to India with that one.

Two things generally come to our mind while visiting Egypt, pyramid and Nile, but many other surprising things were stored for me. Mainly staying in Alexandria, the most beautiful beach I ever seen in my life.

After landing in Cairo airport, we directly headed to her hometown Alexandria. Cairo to Alexandria, which around three and half hours drive, things that I have noticed all the way, was truckloads of cottons and cottons (Egyptian cottons). She was having a huge three-storied house, mainly occupied by her old parents. My friend was having three sisters and a brother, apart from her third sister all other siblings were away. The lifestyle and foods were quite different from ours. Adapting to a new lifestyle is never a big issue for me. One dish, which I liked, was ‘Malokhaia’, a leafy vegetable cooked in chicken soup. Their house was hardly five minutes away from Mediterranean Sea, so almost whole days we used to stay by the beach. The beauty of Mediterranean Sea was unbelievable.

After a week or so, finally we decided to visit Cairo for a day. My friend was driving her father car, her father was very possessive about it, but somehow she managed to get it for our day out. After reaching Cairo, no need to mention, where we headed for. Almost five to six hours we explored pyramid and Sphinx of Giza and then Cairo tower which situated by Niles. Standing on the top of Cairo Tower, one can view almost whole Cairo city, we also visited the Cairo Zoo. When we were just thinking of returning back, a small accident occurred and it was not possible for her to bring back the car with such condition to Alexandria. Therefore, she took it to a known garage. After grabbing our belonging, we walked a few lane of Cairo to reach our temporary destination that was her cousin’s house. We stay over there for the night and next morning we returned to Alexandria.

After a week or so, again back to Cairo, this time around no adventure only to fly out.

It was an unbelievable journey with wonderful memories. However, frankly speaking I still prefer to type the boundless ‘0’, to unlock the password of that wonderful country where I born and brought up, want to remain there till end, your guess is as good as mine, yes that is my country - India.

!!!For me home is where the heart is there.!!!

Two eyes (I.I) and the T form my hear(T)

Those Mumbaikars who knows me, will wonder why I never wrote about this place. Frankly speaking, I do not have enough word to express about this place. What to write? About the world famous and prestigious campus, those visiting V.I.Ps, about those fest (Mood-Indigo), the lakeside view, pollution less morning walks or those peaceful cycles rides. No! None of these, let me write about the peoples, those were really one of kind.

This place also thought me that lack of comfort you having under your roof look like a peanuts, if your neighbours and your surrounding are just too good. The days in I.I.T considered being the best and the golden times of my life. Almost eight years, leaving two of those, when I went to abroad. With bitter, sweet, sour and salt all together, days were just standout from others. My neighbours, OH God! They were just few gems with golden heart. While staying I.I.T, I never locked my door even when I was away. When I left this place, only time I could not hide my true emotion in public, I cried and cried inconsolably.

I am sorry I cannot mention all of them, pick up only a few. Mainly my three neighbours, two of them from north India (U.P. and Himachal) and one from South India (Kerala) and me all together we were very much like a huge family.

My South Indian neighbour was having a daughter, a son. Uncle was an employee of Cromptron Greaves, and aunty was a homemaker. Daughter was a very good friend of mine and like a sister to me. Most of the time I used to have my food with them and whenever any guest visited their house, aunty would always carry a cup of tea from her house until my and offered me with a smile – ‘Chai piyo’. Sadly, I drifted with them; do not know whose fault it was, mainly their son’s involvement with peoples with lots of illegal activity. Still I tried to call then on occasion and tried to wish them, my side it is always genuine.

My North Indian Neighbour also having two kids both were very young when I first met them, today both are grown up and doing well in their respective areas. Bhaiyaji was a lecturer (Maths) and my friend was a homemaker. Bhaiyaji was very quite person and wife was just opposite. She was a very good cook and the tea she used to make was something special. Her home was the place, where we gathered for a big adda. Until now whenever I visit Mumbai, at least for a couple of days I stay at her place.

My other neighbour from Himachal, Uncle was an employee of Proctor & Gamble and aunty was a homemaker. She was having four sons and a daughter. All five siblings used to love me very much. Aunty was very soft spoken, always very concerned about me, If I failed to get up in time, she always knocked my door to know if I was OK or not, today she is no more, so memory of those days are really pained me a lot. Her elder son and daughter-in-law both were my friend too. When I move to I.I.T., he was married with two very young kids. He was working with Otis Elevator. He used to love his wife very much; we often tease both the couple and specially him as ‘Jaru ka Gulam’.

While returning from his work, most of the time he used to peek in and if he found me, only thing he would say– ‘chalo chai pilao’. My answer to his request was always same – come on, go home and have your tea, I do not make tea here and do not even have milk. He will quietly find my purse took out money and immediately find some milk from near by shop and helped himself by preparing his own cup of tea. My only reaction was ‘This is robbery’.

Once during Holi, my Keralite friend and myself told him to arrange a glass of Bhang for both, as we never tasted it. He promptly got two glasses for us. The taste was fabulous and after having it, nearly two hours myself and my Keralite friend sitting face-to-face and telling each other – “Hey, why are you laughing?” thinking all the way that we were just getting bit high. Finally in the evening KS disclosed that it was a mere Sarbat made out of Milk and Dry fruits, there was no Bhang in it, and after having a good laugh, said –“Mein pagal ho gaya jo tum logon ko Bhang pilaunga” (Serve you friend something like that stuff? Am I crazy? ). Our reaction at that time, just forget it.

During that time for one year, I left for aboard (2nd time), when back found him very depressed. May be something related to money, real thing he never disclosed to me and also very busy with my work. One night when I came back from my office, found something amiss in the area and the one of the most shocking news of my life was that, my dear friend KS was no more, it was suicide. I never saw him after that, because the KS, I have known, who dared to touch my purse for few bucks to buy milk for a cup of tea was the one I wanted to remember forever rather than a lifeless body which found hanging from ceiling fan. If I go to Mumbai, I still try to meet his wife. Children’s are grown up now. Dear KS, wherever you are in life and death, you will be always remembered, may be not last but at least by your friend BeeeBeees.

!!!My IITian neighbours, invaluable gems, do not dare to put a price on them.!!!