FOOT IN MOUTH

I had a splitting headache today and had to pop a crocin...

No no..and definitely not the perennial tantrums of my Boss

But because of a hell raising debate...

I really believe I’ll be a very good spouse because of my apathy towards debates and arguments..and I realised at the end of the splitting debate..err.. headache that I definitely will never be able to make in to even the local panchayat forget Lok sabha and the rest..

     The topic though was a trivial one; at the end when the sweet  arbitrator tried to put us to ceasefire and when we,the great debaters who are otherwise good friends,realised that we had whiled away an hour;we both decided to shut up!!

So,have you ever seen a happy end of a debate?

I cant recollect one such example except those debate competitions in school where one holds up a trophy!

         Frankly I feel all those years in school where students are encouraged to take part in debates (pointless again is the entire concept where kids are given a topic,asked to write or get it written,mug up the content and deliver it from their memory in front of a naive audience) goes down in drain..

They say debate is an intellectual pursuit..but how?

At the end of 99% of debates both the parties are left unconvinced and not an iota do they agree with each other.

Human beings are supposed to be opinionated and possess the thing called “ego” which doesn’t feel good when bruised.

In my observation,the more “intellectual” a person claims or is renowned to be ,the more opinions  he has of  his own,and the less likely he is to be budged from his ground of thinking because he has ultimate assurance,confidence and at times even pride in his “intellect”.

         Look at the those correspondents on TV talk shows trying to put debaters to peace when they start screaming at each other on screen .The futile debates in the parliaments and unnecessary interruptions and delays cost so much to our exchequer.

Hailing from an engineering college where we get enough of time for discussions and “bakar” I remember a few incidents.

     During college some of my guy friends had a debate over the complexion of Sunidhi Chauhan and Shreya Ghoshal as to which of the 2 singers is fairer..

To prove, both started downloading images on google and trying to prove their point .

Result: An entire night wasted with no conclusions.(Not that even reaching a conclusion on this one would make a huge difference to anyone)

Some similar ones are

Who is the better khan Aamir or Shah Rukh?

Who is the more beautiful of the two?

Aishwarya or Sushmita?

What is better ?

A smart and not-so beautiful wife or a not-so smart but beautiful wife?

Which is innocuous Halal meat or Jhatka?

What is healthier?

Veg food or non veg?

MBA as a career option or not?

Life in big cities or Life in small ones?

Ahh..and those debates men so often get embroiled and start quoting facts and figures just  to prove who is greater of them.

Sir Don Bradman or Sachin Tendulkar?

Pele or Maradona?

Federer or Nadal?

And suddenly some one will quote a statistic and the other party will disagree and bet and go google just to prove him wrong..but damn that still doesn’t end the debate..

Let it just be guys ..There have been issues and debates unresolved since time immemorial..Most of the times I feel the debaters just end up wasting their time and energy.

Like the UN debates of Palestine Vs Israel.

India Vs Pakistan

Communism Vs Democracy

Industrial Development Vs Eco-system sustainability

God Vs Science

    If there is any little benefit out of a debate then it goes to those who are the silent neutral observers,who listen to it with an open mind and seek some knowledge from both the sides . Its like two dogs strive for a bone and the third one runs off with it.But very soon this third dog meets another one and starts fighting as he soon has his own opinion too.

 So how right is it for you to vent your spleen over a statement you believe in?How right is it for you to engage in a debate?

Debate  sure promises a repartee and as movies show even helps forge relationships but I have decided for the umpteenth time to shut up and never engage in one.So what if people think I am dumb and too pacific! After all its my own opinion.  So you don’t want to debate on the “FUTILITY OF DEBATE” .Do you?

I WISH I COULD BE YOU..LAILA!!

I finally came out of my Cine-Bad luck record..Paisa Vasooled after a long time..

I was in Kolkata on company business and got time post work to catch a movie

Zindagi Milegi Na Dobara was a totally refreshing movie..It  was much like a Lonely Planet show..Spanish tourism is bound to get a boost.

Another reason why I probably am singing in praise is because I was able to establish a connect with Laila(played with Katrina) before you Kat Fans get offended I am aware Katrina is light years  away from any girl next door in terms of pulchritude.

No I am not a deep sea diver like Laila.. rather I just have had the practice of  swimming  ..I fear the deep end. Laila talks about what she wants from life

“Meeting new people  and experiencing new at every point in life”

That  sounded so much like a soliloquy to me.

I ‘ve so wanted to see the country and the world..and I don’t have a problem doing it alone..
But there are things to stop me in this pursuit!

     As I was going to bed ruminating about this…. I got an sms from an official  acquaintance who asked me if I was okay in  and if I had heard any rumour..Not very pleasantly, I replied that I was not in town and I didn’t pick up any rumour hints at midnight.The next morning I’m woken up by another phone call..This time from my aunty in Ranchi..she  asked  me  the same question “If I had heard the news going around?”

Now what rumour/news had been floating around that I was oblivious of?? And this is what I heard “A female employee of my Company  was raped at the very scenic Dimna Dam while she was visiting the place in the company of a male friend” Since there are not many female employees in the manufacturing sector I could understand their concern….

  Like each time I read about such cases..I was irked,aghasted,repelled by this heinous act..I’d been disturbed all day long.After day long of engagements I returned to the Hotel it was 8.30 pm.I had to buy a gift for a dear friend.I googled nearest Titan showroom. I decided to put myself to a small test and set out on foot all alone based on the random google maps . I made a quick circle from ho chi minh sarani that was deserted .The showroom had its shutters half down and was about to close in the  camac street.Struck by hunger I went out to hunt for street food on the notorious  Park street on a  Saturday night and its nearby lanes at nine at night.I wanted to pack food  at a roll corner but I had become aware of a group of guys who were staring  so I ditched the idea.

  I returned back safe! A  short celebration of liberation!

But the morning thought had still been haunting me…Are such perpetrators worse than savages?

I’m sure even animal kingdom has respectable protocols..and so do “uncivilized” tribes in Africa

And worse what aftermath does the female go after she has undergone something as ravaging as a rape.

The entire question of “why me?” or worse

“God! Why did you make me a weaker gender?”

Paradoxically In a country where Durga,Lakshmi and Saraswati are worshipped..I know people will call it a feminist’s question but isn’t this a humanitarian one?

  Why do they do it?What do they get out of it?and you know what “they” does not include a minuscule percentage population?The National Crime Records Bureau state that in the year 2009  a total of 21091  rape cases were reported in police station.Officially every 30 minutes a woman is raped.Adding to that Medical Counselors say that only 1 in 69 cases are reported.So you can well imagine the number of females who are so devastated and don’t want to go through the stigma of being asked “disgraceful questions” by police and medical examinations just to prove what they have gone through.

 Thinking and cringing at it;I read a Nielsen report  revealed that Indian women are the most stressed out in the world: 87% of our women feel stressed out most of the time.. Even in workaholic America, only 53% women feel stressed.There’s not a single day when we girls are not reminded of our helplessness..

       If  I take an auto the guy sitting or uncle sitting next to me will try to nudge me..

If I am travelling in a bus the “bhaiya” needs to be reminded to make some space and not to make contact..

If I’m travelling by train..God! help me if I’m alone be it AC..General class..I’ll have all the eyeballs on me..staring at me as if I were some alien..Here’s a fact most of us wont sleep in train at night lest the man sleeping on the next berth tries to lay his hand on us..Many a times no one will come to rescue even If you’ll try..and Please  don’t ask us to report to the police waala 50% times even he might be eyeing us with uncouth eyes..If you’re walking on streets comments will pass once or twice..Again if the situation is really bad  some one will just come on his bike and make sure he gets the thrill of scaring a girl out of her wits by touching her..and before you will have come out of the shock and have had the sense of noting his number down he’ll be gone in a jiffy.

   Workplace too might not always be a friendly place.In a recent poll it was found that  60%  of working women have faced sexual harassment at some point of time in their working lives. 

 Coming to the point,I cannot take a knapsack on my back and cannot put on my khaki shorts and go about camping in some field or exploring some mountain alone by myself.. Laila(Katrina) seized the day and lived every moment to the fullest beause she was in Spain and not in India and probably was the daughter of a well to do man..I cannot seize the day..I cannot impress Hrithik Roshan by my free spirit..I cannot live the way I want to because there might be some villain lurking  out there..

I HATE LOVE STORIES

He used to sit there at my newly launched “Chai bar” very often….
Clad in kurta and jeans he used to frequent my Tea shop every Sunday..
It had been almost half a year and he hadn’t missed even a single sunday..He generally used to be there alone with his only company being a book and a cup of tea..and used to sit there for a couple of hours..
It had been a dream come true for me launching a tea bar chain of my own..I used to make sure that I was present at this Manor Road joint every Sunday
He was tall,sultry and spectacled…(just my kinda guy)
Somewhere in mid thirties meaning only about a couple of years elder to me..I was happy with life but Ma always had been hinting that my free single independent life needs a “suitable man”….and each time I saw him I thought the same..
The first 4 weeks I remember he’d only order “Assam Special” and consume it copiously..
He used to come to the counter and rattle his order straight away..I suggested him once “why don’t you try something else as well? Oolong is good too”
He gave me a look of surprise that seemed to say “ you seem to be following my orders lady?”
Ahhh..how I wish I could follow them
He readily acceded and said “ok,ill try it..” and flashed his smile..
I understood what “being swept off one’s feet meant”
I always wanted to talk to him..find out what book was he was reading?
Once when he came to order “oolong” at the counter I furthered our conversation by saying “Oh yes Oolong will just go perfectly well with your current read”
Isnt that book about Roald Amundsen’s adventure at the south pole?
   He had said “so miss,It seems you do more than just selling tea”
I sprang at that opportunity and boasted him about my B-school stint and entrepreneurship plans..I wanted to know about his pursuit as well..no it wouldn’t matter…if he were just a struggling writer or journo..
We would have married and I would be happy selling tea ever after and just see him stay occupied with his book and my hand made tea….
I was just about to ask him his pursuit when I was accosted by another customer at the counter..
For once I didn’t want to do business..
There were so many pretty girls and women frequenting my “chai bar” but he never ever raised his eyes to even take a glimpse of them…forget ogling …much to my relief.
 The only habit I found a bit disconcerting was when he stepped out to smoke..but I would make him quit that too someday..
At times he used to bring a laptop ..I would watch those tough,muscular hands in motion..working fast on the keyboard..I would generally make myself conspicuous and try to grab his attention by being extra polite and courteous to other customers..…Once I had brought my 3 yr old niece along..and I remember how he had offered her a chocolate out of his pocket when he’d come to order “Oolong”
Somehow his reticent and tough yet gentle demeanour never allowed me to open up very freely to him..besides it would be partial and unethical as a shop-owner to give extra attention to one customer…most importantly it would let loose a babble of tongues..
And one day…
It was raining really wildly that day..I stuck to my routine..and by 11 was there at my counter…
The clock struck 11:30 and he wasn’t there…since the weather had turned stormy and rainy a few customers chugged in cars and stopped in for tea but I didn’t receive their orders with alacrity..
I was distracted..and slowly was getting disappointed..
No..how could I stay without seeing him for the rest of the week?
Had he come today I definitely would start my discussions on the book he was reading last week..
Not only had I bought the book but did extra research on it…to impress him… and wore my best black salwar suit for that slim look with perfect matching jewellery…
Despondent I exited from my Manor Road “chai bar”..since It was raining I grabbed the other day’s newspaper to provide that mobile shed and ward off the rain..I sat in my car and left then newspaper on the dashboard.I was about to start the car when I saw the newspaper… That page had a news I never wanted to believe “ Ranchi:August 15,2017 The Jan Lokpal finds Mr. Ajay Kishore guilty of misappropriation funds worth Rs. 10 crores.”Above this news piece was his picture.That was how I came to know him

I came ..I saw ..They conquered..

As the entire nation has been painted in the euphoria of the Indian Cricket team winning and bringing the "Cup that counts" home and as the media is fully catching up with this well deserved long awaited frenzy..I decided why not do the same...
I know there are some thousands blogs sprouting simultaneously on the same subject..
All this a catharsis to yesterday’s victory....
I am frankly no big cricket follower..i know nothing about IPL(and frankly don’t want to)
I give a damn to any match going on that doesn’t involve my country.
I am what as guys would love to describe “a typical Indian girl” who still has difficulty understanding inside edge,long on,mid off,slip,silly gully and all those stuffs..
I am just one of those nondescript persons in the crowd who want their country to win..
And definitely win against Pakistan...I admire Sachin Tendulkar as any one in the country for his amazing brilliance with the bat and the utter humble conduct
And yes I take great pride like any other Ranchiite
“ hey you know what Dhoni is my neighbour and we studied in the same school”
I am like thousands out there who will either wear the same coloured T they wore last time because India won...will eat the same food in between the breaks because India won the last time they practised that..and definitely will or will not sit in front of the TV set when their favourite team is batting..In my case its a bit extreme..I believe my presence is cursed and so I don’t watch my country batting..So,It happened in the Finals yesterday..sitting at the edge of my chair on the computer refreshing score card on cric info and listening to the cheers and despondent sighs of folks watching the match outside.
Last few balls when India seemed destined to win I came ..I saw and they conquered..
It was then that I experienced the euphoria and rejoiced the moment..
It was great listening to Kumara Sangakkara’s eloquent speech after which I was told that he is a law student himself..no wonder..where all that acumen and words flow..
Another great point to note was apna Dhoni’s speech he said "had we lost out I would have been asked why sreesanth not ashwin?yuvraj singh why not at number 4 despite his form ..there are plenty of questions?” and when asked about his run bank he said
“I had a point to prove not to others but to myself..”
That is what makes people great..they remain unaffected by criticism..they care not what people have to say about them..We fans are really impractical..
For instance when Nehra gave away runs in the match against South Africa we lambasted him..
This takes me back to the 2003 world cup
India had a horrid beginning to the tournament, their first match was against minnows Holland, who tumbled the Indian batsmen out for just 204 but India ended up winning by 68 runs, the unconvincing victory setting the stage for immense criticism. The next match on India's list was against world champions Australia. The Indian team, batting first..India were out for 125. Australia scored the target in 22.2 overs, only losing one wicket. The Indian performances in the first two matches triggered uproar within India, player effigies were said to be burnt on streets

India moved and won the next matches against Zimbabwe and Namibia. India finished off the Pool Stage with an 82 run victory over England and a 6 wicket victory over Pakistan. Ashish Nehra achieved 6/23 against England to help India defend 250 as England were all out for 168.

That reminds me of the very famous lines from Julius Caesar when Antony remarks
“The evil that men do lives after them,The good is oft interred(buried) with their bones”


Its very easy for us to pontificate and say how this shot should have been played,or how that ball should have been chased..or how that extra leap should have been taken to grab the ball..
The worst was 2007 world Cup when public’s wrath knew no end
India's World Cup campaign started disastrously, as they lost to Bangladesh in the opener, leaving them with two must-win matches in their group. India next scored 413 against Bermuda India won the game by 257 runs, and this left them to beat tournament favorites Sri Lanka. Due to their loss to Bangladesh, India's presence in the tournament depended on them defeating Sri Lanka.
At the Queen's Park Oval at Trinidad, on 23 March, the Indian pace bowlers made early inroads, dismissing the danger men,the Sri Lankan innings ended for 254 for the loss of 6 wickets.
The Indians batting crumbled against the Sri Lankan bowling attack, India were all out for only 185, considered surprising given India's batting strength and the batting-friendly nature of the Queen's Park Oval. With one victory and two losses, India were hence knocked out of the World Cup. It was also the first time since 1992 that the Indian cricket team failed to progress to the latter stages of the tournament.
After the debacle, there were several attacks on players homes and protests by infuriated fans, especially in Bangalore and Mumbai.Such volatile can we be ..Fans even burnt posters of GOD.

No wonder the cricketers say so morosely in the Birla Sun Life Insurance advt “Jab tak Balla hai that hai” ( Glory will stay till runs emanate out of the bat)


“A critic is someone who never actually goes to the battle, yet who afterwards comes out shooting the wounded”
So I learn a lesson here..bouquets and brickbats will always be there what matters most is BELIEF in yourself and your decisions..
With great power ..comes great responsibility..
Thanks to you men in blue for having braved fan pressure and performing "bleedingly" well


Here’s a lovely piece from the movie ratatouille by where the critic confesses his job as





“ In many ways the work of a critic is easy, we risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves our judgement,we thrive on negative criticism which is fond to write and to read...but the bitter truth that we critics must face is that in the grand scheme of things the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating itself and there are times when a critic truly risks something and that is in the discovery and defence of the new ...the world is often unkind to the new talent ,new creation but new needs friends....”

WHICH COLOUR DO YOU CHOOSE?

Imagine …...
What if we Homo sapiens had no rods and cones(photo receptor cells) to see the colours..Imagine what if the only colours we could see would be black and white?
Why would Google name its browser CHROME and what would the logo of WINDOWS look like?... 4 plain boxes??
Why would Beatles have given the hit “ the yellow submarine?” or how would be humming our desi hit “Neele neele ambar…”
How would the doctors see the Red Blood cells and figure out the yellow disease of Jaundice?
Why would we hanker after Red meat,Red wine,Chocolate cake,Saffron Lassi??
We would not be spending hours on deciding which colour car to buy?
We would not be spending that extra money to get a bright coloured mobile phone..
You could get your house coloured in black and white?
Vehicles would be bumping into each other as Traffic signal would have no meaning…no green,no yellow and no Red…
What would you gift your Girlfriend?
A white rose or a black one?
What would a bride be in?A black and white “joda”? What would happen to the red vermillion on her hair?
What about the intricate and lustrous Gold jewellery?
Though Men would be thanking that they now don’t have to wait hours while their spouses decided which colour dress to buy or put on…
But then How would India be “men in blue” and Pakistan “in green”?
How would you support the RED DEVILS and THE BLUES?
What fun would it be to see a football match without RED card and YELLOW card?
What would business be like?
No PINK slip,no RED herring prospectus,no BLUE print,no YELLOW pages and most importantly no GREENBACK.
Though Business suits would still be the same formal black and white with black and white ties.

What fun would it be watching AVATAR and Harry Potter in a dual chrome mode? What fun would Parle POPPINS and Cadbury GEMS be?How distinctly different would the SUPERMAN,BATMAN,SPIDERMAN and GREEN GOBLIN be?Why would young Girls dress themselves as some PINK fairy in the fancy dress competition?
Why would the teacher be teaching you Rainbow and later go on to teach you Dispersion and Newton’s and Rayleigh’s experiment with spectrum?(Though that would reduce the syllabus a lot)
How easy it would be to tell mom that u’ve spilled ink from your fountain pen and not ketchup?
Crayons would have no meaning..

Why would Grandma worship NEELKANTH ? and why would she be watching “baalika vadhu” on COLOURS channel.
Why would I be here writing this post had I not got a holiday on the occasion of “HOLI”?
HAPPY HOLI……
Imagine a life without so many hues?
But luckily most of us can see and enjoy these various hues..
Yet there are a lot amongst us who cannot see ..who don’t know what colours look like…who don’t know what HOLI is like..
LET YOUR EYES CHANGE SOMEONE’S LIFE ..

COLOUR THE BLIND

45 and counting...

Around 45 and still counting..no I’m not counting Sachin’s ODI centuries..neither am I keeping a track of Brad Pitt’s age..and definitely not watching Megan Fox’s weight..
I must have seen the movie SWADES some 45 times..and I’m not alone..as Wikipedia says it has a cult following in India and South Asia..
The time this movie released I must have been in class 12 or so..
When I first asked a few friends how the movie was their reply was “preachy and boring”
Truly what is one man’s meat is the other man’s poison ..and when I watched this movie..it turned out to be more than meat for me..It left me with an amazingly awe inspiring feeling..
Philosophical,patriotic,brooding,musical and definitely romantic
The “dehati(rustic)” in me was aroused...the beauty lied in the extreme simplicity of the script .. even though the movie was a bit long(194 minutes)
Ashutosh Gowarikar churned a fantastic screenplay...and I am sure all connoisseurs and people in their right minds will agree with me...
The brilliant and sensitive acting by Shah Rukh Khan in this movie just corroborates the fact that Khan knows the art of emoting...Gayatri Joshi plays her part with utter finesse...though she could have been better at emoting..
Her character as Geeta was very special because it was one of the rare occasions in which Bollywood took some pride in showing the lead female having a great deal of brain..that could be a good reason why it didn’t create a commercial success..after all there weren't “item numbers in dishabille state”

Geeta has a mind of her own..highly opiniated ..and crunches numbers with as ease as probably Shakuntala Devi that leaves the NASA scientist SRK woooed ..though having completed her education from DU..she believes she is doing her best for the country by working at the grassroot level by educating children..There is a scene where she snubs a marriage alliance because she wants to work after her marriage .
I personally think the National Literacy Mission or National Commission for Women should take up this scene as an ad campaign after all SRK is a household name..

Bhanu Athaiya(who won the Oscar for best costume design for Gandhi) has used great hues and dressed the characters in colours that gel so perfectly well with the plot.. who so ever thought sarees and salwar suits are a passé?
Geeta in her sarees and salwar suits is a sight to behold....and Mohan with his suave self epitomises the man any father would want his daughter to marry..The two character always agree to disagree..
There are good number of instances when they debate on what each of them is doing for the good of society...like when Mohan says how “you Indians keep defending yourself by using culture and tradition as shields” and when Gita says yes to Mohan’s marriage proposal but disagrees to settle in USA ..she even calls him “Non Returning Indian (NRI)”

Kaveri Amma’s role played Kishori Bala is stuffs most of our grandparents are made of..
Compassionate,wise but still obfuscated by “gen next”
I mean I was dumbstruck when A.R rahman won Oscars for Slumdog Millionaire.
It definitely wasn’t his magnum opus.Every movie is made of dialogues and scenes and background score
The jury should have listened to the background score of swades and also the songs.
Alas Rahman didn’t even win a desi filmfare for his work in Swades..He lost to none other than Copy Cat Anu Malik..
The soulful use of Shehnai in the title theme of Swades...and the simple humming that lends divinity to this track...Aaahh..
The lyrics by Javed Akhtar of the song “yun hi chala chal rahi”..my favourite lines being
“Har sapna sach lage, jo prem agan jale
Jo raah tu chale apne mann ki
Har pal ki seep se moti hi tu chune
Jo sada tu sune apne mann ki”..i wont translate these lines..theyll lose their essence..
Romantic undercurrents going in the movie..be it when Mohan is mesmerised by Geeta’s intelligence or when Geeta gives side glances at Mohan when the villagers are watching Zeenat Aman’s song “chura liya hai tumne jo dilko”
When Mohan heaves a sigh of relief when Geeta rejects her marriage alliance with someone else..
When Mohan is lost in awe of Geeta as she teaches him to tie the Dhoti..

or when he peeps by her window when she’s correcting papers..
Geeta confesses her love for Mohan when he’s busy working on hydroelectric project..
And the best of it when Mohan sweeps Geeta of her feet in her own classroom..


Coming to the strong social message the movie sends..

Ask not countrymen what the country can do for you..ask what you can do for the country.
For most of us who like to boast about our NRI relatives..
Mohan is appalled by the state of the country side ..but slowly in a matter of days gives up mineral water and his caravan..starts sleeping on the charpoy and bathes by the well..
Comes to know about the great divide between the haves and the have-nots..illiteracy.
The most poignant scene being the one in which the small boy is trying to sell water.

Mohan is shaken to see how villagers have become complacent with life in dark..when ironically one of them utters out “Ravana burning looks so splendid in the dark”
He starts on his mission of producing hydroelectric power.This is inspired by the true story of Aravinda Pillalamarri and Ravi Kuchimanchi, the NRI couple who returned to India and developed the pedal power generator to light remote, off-the-grid village schools...and he does it.
I remember my Mech Prof. Asking us about the turbine principle behind Swades? So there were others too appreciating the movie I thought.
When Mohan is called back to NASA folks in the village of charanpur are saddened .They don’t want him to go back ..One of them remarks “Its like apni hi chaukhat ka diya giving light to neighbour’s house”
At last Mohan goes back to NASA but isn’t happy there..he decides to come back to his SWADES..
And continue research at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre
He’s thoroughly discouraged by his colleagues who say he’s being “foolishly romantic”
And when he submits his resignation to his boss ;his boss exclaims how he “could be going places”if he stayed with NASA
To which Mohan replies “I am going places” with a sparkle in his eyes...

I finish this blog with Swades being played in the background of my laptop.....still counting..

LITTI CHOKHA OR ROSOGULLA

I have always been asked about my roots??
"U look like a bong but your surname is Ranjan?"
My mother has been accosted by few Bengali women at parties
When the Bengali ladies nonchalantly start talking to her in Bengali easily assuming she is one...
Until my mom has to break their Rosogulla in mouth epiphany and say “No,I am not what u think..I cannot speak Bengali”
Given the fact that we were Bengalis some five generations back,my great grandfather also wrote Bengali poetry...
We came to then undivided Bengal’s while my ancestors were practsing tehsildars(tax collectors)
They settled in the present Bihari village near Bhagalpur,they learnt the language of the land and embraced the language called ANGIKA, angika comes from Anga..the mythological land of Karna..... And post independence when it became difficult for them to get jobs because of their Bengali surname “Ghosh” they changed it to “Verma” .There were many families like these who form a very small and closed community...so much so when there are alliances or marriage proposals everyone ends up being related to /or knowing the other one....While some Bengalis look down on us saying "How could you have forgone ur language?"
Well,my ancestors did it..so i dont owe an explanation of defence.....

So, when very often I am asked, “ what are you?”
To which my spontaneous reply is “A girl,if you havnt figured out till now”
The conversation starts to spiral until I am jolted with “ No,what I mean to ask is are you a Bengali or Bihari?? I mean you look like a bong,your Grandma the other day I saw was draping a bong saree,you were talking on the phone in hindi but addressing your aunt as Pisi and uncle as kaku”

If I judge that I have enough time to satisfy the enquirer's curiousity i try to explain them my ancestral lineage...a bit more than what I have tried to explain in my blog....
After that 10 minutes of history I am still asked “ Ok...so I understand...but how do u wish to be called now a bong or bihari?”
Oh my God!! Hey bhagwan!! Thakur kichhoo kor! How does Katrina Kaif manage in Bollywood Circuit with such mixed roots!! Oh I forgot she’s too hot not to be socially acceptable...

There are other times when I see that its no use obfuscating the person in front of me...I simply say.."Look I'm a Bihari,hope u got no problems with that?"
after all I can speak flawless Hindi but flawful Bengali....
and I know that the person isn’t ever going to turn up for any my family marriages (which even today take place the Bengali way..)

If its a near and dear friend who has asked me if I am a Bong or Bihari to which I reply “ I am actually both” .... they look at me with that cunning smile and say ... “Oh!! your parents had a love marriage..Its gonna be so easy for u convincing them if u find a suitable boy urself..they so much will understand your situation”
How I wish the above statements could be true ....

The times when I experience those twisted chuckles at the back of my mind is when
I am either surrounded by non-Bong friends who start complaining of how
The bong kids are pampered ..the concept of “Shonar chhele” where the boy needs to get Z+ security before leaving his home..the boy will be mollycoddled and stuffed with sweater and bear caps lest he catches cold..or when his parents will rush in from any corner of the world to feed him Paish,Machher Jhol aar Baiguun Bhaja”
The fact that when two Bengalis meet they’ll talk only in Bengali(their aami tumi) and if you happen to be a non bong in that circuit....they’ll treat you as if you were a mere lamp post..simply non existent...

That's when the Bong in me gets aroused to refute back that most reasearchers or Professors at top notch universities are either Tam Brams or Bengalies...
Oh come on!! We have to accept the love for literature ,music and arts can be seen in every nook of Kolkata..
And also admire the fact that they take pride in their language... though also agreeing that it becomes a trouble at times when they happen to neglect the non-bengali speaking person...

Again I cant say for sure which category i fall into....

And the observation my bong friends would make
“oye daakh..Bihari gunda(look at the Bihari goon)..and they'll talk about the incorrigible habit of biharis
Chewing the Paan(beetle leaf) with the red slime dripping out of the mouth...and the ubiquitous spit patterns around ...and if not that the tobacco(read:khaini) rubbing on the palms...
Be it Delhi University or any other University we “bhaiyaas” have earned a recognition for our the uncouth and brusque attitude of bullying..after all we have that isshpunk and isshtyle...showcased in the hits like Dabbang
The habit of pulling train’s chain wherever we want..bursting inside reserved sleeper compartments and scaring people out of their wits and forcing them to give away their booked seats...eve teasing..kidnapping
Talking at the highest decibel on mobile phones with LALOOISH accent..

In defence i’d make clear that Bihari’s have the brightest minds especially when you look at the IIT JEE merit lists and UPSC merit lists...We've toppled corrupt governments..
And the situation in Bihar is changing now for good with it skyrocketing GDP..
Having said so much I’ve enjoyed great company with both BONG and Bihari friends...
Growing up in a Para(colony) where the Bongs and Biharis stayed in the same apartment blocks..and Bihari guys pursuing Bong girls..
I love Litti chokha as much as I love Sondesh...
At my home we celebrate Durga &Lokhhi Puja as well as Chhatt with equal fervour..

I can so clearly write about the traits because I have traits of both or as I would like to believe traits of none...I can be a virtual portmanteau or an oxymoron..depends on what u want me to be...
Finally I have a great idea ..the next time some one asks me “Are u a ......?”
My reply “ just log on to http://shrillvoices.blogspot.com
Gosh!! what is it going to be like if someday in future my kids are asked the same question?
Long live blogspot!

ABSOLUT SOLUTION

Quite a few friends of mine have wanted to see me drunk...as they truly believe I’ll give them quite an amusing entertainment package when I’m “out”..
Now for all you men reading this “come on... don’t give that LADIES AREN’T EXPECTED TO DRINK...looks”
But I have never given them this opportunity till date and cannot say for sure If I ever will..I don’t attach any taboo to the concept of drinking...but yes, this thought does occur to me at times..what if I keep gulping the drink non stop... and let the situation out of control...
Naa..I don’t want to create a public nuisance...
And what trigerred this blog was the movie “no one killed Jessica”
Is drunkenness that insane and irrational that it can make a man kill a woman who just refused him to serve more...
Then I wondered this is not it...
There are many Jessicas in India..though the damage in those cases don’t always result in the fatality as this one did...
I know Munia my domestic help refuses to get married because she says that in her community men beat the women black and blue and abuse them to the extent of death if the women; who after a day’s hard work of washing clothes,sweeping floors,or selling vegetables refuses to part with their hard earned money...
As a child having grown up in Jharkhand where the local liquor called “ hadia” fermented rice with “mohua” is sold like cold drinks in every other nook and cranny..I remember how our moms used to be worried about us until we were back from tuitions or schools..lest some drunkard was on a loose in the neighbourhood basti
Personally drinking has never appealed to me but people refute saying “ its a personal choice...”
But it doesn’t become a personal choice when you’re out there in a party ,sloshed drunk..with little or no control over your brain and then start mouthing obsceneties,..
And performing histrionincs that leave people in and around you uncomfortable...
If you are smart and cerebral enough a person who just enjoys drinking in social gatherings to the effect that you don’t create a nuisance and are well under control..then nothing like it!! May you meet all the pretty girls you’ve ever thought of...But those of you who don’t know where to draw the line..and drink as if there’s never ever going to be a tomorrow ,consequently dehydrating your entire body and de-sensing your brain...and proudly proclaim..”I’ll drink as much as I want to..Its my choice”...
Its in no way a personal choice as your callous drinking behaviour adversely affects others as you puke and leave the floor,car dirty with someone else to clean it...and someone else to pay the bill..
Its not a personal choice, when in order to “de-stress” men consume alcohol in copious quantities and end up unleashing their heightened libido on any woman whom they come across..
Why ???..........haven’t we read of those innumerable news clippings where in some policemen and in many cases spoilt brats in drunken stupor have molested women..
Cases when some dipsomaniac may have boarded a train and causes discomfort to women and people around...
Drinking is not a personal choice when you(men and women) are totally inebriated and under influence and cant see the road ahead or the vehicle ahead and ram into the next vehicle coming on the road or run over some mere mortal and take his life away in the blink of an eye..


Wiki lift:
Of the adult US population, at least 75% are drinkers; and about 6% of the total group are alcoholics. In groups which are almost 100% drinkers, the alcoholism rate is about 8%. Many reports state that about 73% of felonies are alcohol-related. One survey shows that in about 67% of child-beating cases, 41% of forcible rape cases, 80% of wife-battering, 72% of stabbings, and 83% of homicides, either the attacker or the victim or both had been drinking.The case is not different with India as well..

Same irksome feelings for smokers as well..
I have not understood atleast why so called “aware and educated” give in to smoking knowing fully well that its not good for anyone on the planet...not good for the small kids in the bidi and cigarette industry..not good for the passive smoker next to you..and definitely its not going to do you any good!!
And trust me guys!!girls don’t get attracted to men who prove their machismo by smoking cigarettes..and for you girls who smoke this is what the HEART THROB JOHN ABRAHAM had to say, “I’ve tried to quit smoking..but what I don’t understand is why women smoke?..Its not good for their health as it affects maternity..also they are superior moral beings than men..how can they err”
Any smoker doesn’t want his son or daughter to pick the habbit..why ??
Its not about being too good to be true but about realising why should you be
doing something that isn't good for you

I’ve asked a friend who’s a chain smoker “Dont you know that this could just kill you?”
His reply “ you could die anywhere,here because of an earthquake or there on the street because of an accident”
Now what does one have to say to an argument like that?
True its your wish..its your life...make it better ...
make it worse..Its a personal choice

PLEASE बोलो ना!! ( PLEASE SPEAK)

Ok tell me
Which one of these two restaurants serves good food?
Swadisht bhojanalalaya or Delicious Restaurant?


Think.....think...

Bang on! Atleast for the 90%...I know that voice inside your head has zeroed in on Delicious restaurant.
Not your fault as you are primed to think that “ Swadisht bhojanalya” has to be some dingy, unhygienic sub urban place where the lower middle class man takes his family out while flies are hovering all around and Delicious Restaurant would be some uptown restaurant where you could get the perfect ambience to take your lady out or hob nob with the best in town....Why?
Because this is what has become the power of language....This is what can be termed as decadence of Hindi..I wish i could have written this piece in Hindi..but alas! Hindi is a passé..and yes I am sorry I haven’t been able to get a firm command on my own language as I have over English..
So, often when my friends have boasted of their attempts of mastering German ,French,Greek etc. and persuaded me to follow the suit...I have pondered over this issue and thought over..Its a shame on me I cannot speak my own language hindi properly..Shouldn’t we put in some effort to learn our own mothertongue??
In a bid to do that, I visited a few renowned libraries around and was dismayed to see the plight of Hindi books...The last row of books...spun with cobwebs..collecting dust and with no eminent Hindi writers...Phew!! and after rummaging a few shelves when I got one and issued it at the counter the librarian was flabbergasted and asked me “You read Hindi?? (as if I’d committed a serious offence)...
” why?” i remarked to which he replied ..just that there are no takers for it..Who reads Hindi these days?
How true!!! Invariably all of us overlook the Hindi newspaper and hunch and scan the reading rooms looking for the English counterpart no matter how many advts. It has... Glossy paper with either underwear advts. Or deshabille actresses, models posing..
Now..come on don’t take me as a fanatic or fundamentalist trying to promulgate Shiv Sena/Bajrang Dal ideologies of Bhartiyata or Hindutva ..This is just a thought that has been crystallising for quite some time.. I totally agree with the lot who say that English is the language that has catapulted the country's growth in the IT sector and in the world business scenario...No wonder China is opening English schools all across to arm the Chinese people with English.. There’s no problem learning as many languages as you want to...but many of us look down on Hindi..dismiss it.. Why aren’t we respecting our own language?? Why look at the Japanese? look at the Germans..look at the French..Have they been left behind?
Next we come to the MAJORITY Fairer sex’s proclivity towards English
The other day I observed this girl in the neighbourhood(I am in Jharkhand,India) at the vegetable vendor who was buying greens..at the end when the vendor settled down on an amount ...on the being told उँचालीस..the girl asked “उँचालीस meaning?? Bhaiya English mein bolo”
Madam the literacy percentage in india is only 68% and about only 23% of the country can speak in English..people like you could please spare such souls and the poor vegetable vendor!!
And I have seen girls struggling with “दाएँ(daayein)” and “बाएँ(baayen)”..
The modern but poor rickshawpuller now knows what’s right and left..or else how will he be able to help them in transit!!
The next big confusion with uptown girls.. what’s “डेढ़(dedh)”& what’s “अडहायी(adhai)”?
Write it down babes.. “one and a half” and “two and a half” respectively...
This is what my dad pointed out..you will always notice even in interviews and press conferences If its Sachin or Amitabh..when asked a question in hindi they will always reply in the same...but have you ever seen pretty actresses or models or Saina Mirza conversing in Hindi..My dad hits back to say..”if these women can speak hindi in the entire movie why is it a problem on the screen??”
And the observer in me has a nice smile..ok!! I agree the only way to attract attention and to be taken seriously when shopping in a mall or ordering in a restaurant is to speak not in hindi.. “ what’s the price?” is more effective than “इसका दाम कितना है?” How many of us actually retain Hindi वर्णमाला(alphabets)??
What strikes me is a single statement English as a conversing medium shows that you have a “status” but speaking in “hindi” aint cool neither “in”..
As my Management friends would say there is a “snob appeal” in the language..
Especially a few days ago when I was seated in a train and there was this female with a child barely 2 years old in her lap... poor kid was being scolded in English “Baby why do u have to be restless?Mommy will fulfil your chocolate cravings..” with his Dad dropping a few Hindi words “अरे ठीक से बैठो” Spare the poor child..
He might just get confused with both the languages being fed in his mind..That reminds me of the latest admission trends in ENGLISH MEDIUM SCHOOLS..
For admission to kindergarten parents’ are interviewed along with the kids..and both the parents’ and the kids’ English speaking enunciation and fluency are checked..More so I have been told parents’ at some of these HI FI schools also need to specify if they have a two wheeler or a 4 wheeler..Why should they send the kid to “English medium school” if the child already knows english..
At a macroscopic level some of us argue that there is nothing called “preservation of language”..culture is a melting pot of time and civilization and every language undergoes change from time to time..sanskrit is a passé and so is pali and prakrit..but i do believe the reason Greek, French and Japanese have been preserved is because people have taken a certain degree of pride in knowing it..treating it as a heritage and passing it from generation to generation..Not throwing it in the dustbins of history ..that’s my point..and its not only about Hindi..its about whatever your mother tongue is..Hindi is mine and so i have written about it..Or are we plain hypocrites ?? because when it comes to movies we still love our “Hollywood inspired” tearjerking Hindi movies(no matter how nonsensical the plot is) and when it comes to songs we’ll whistle and dance to “बीड़ी...मुन्नी...शीला की जवानी” This still gives me some hope of Hindi not becoming completely extinct at least till the time I live ..

P.S i had thought of naming the blog "शीला की ज़ुबानी"..but that would encourage junta to play THE song in loud and repeat mode and aggravate the damage to my eardrum

ADULT CONTENT

So i sit to write my first adult blog.(hmmm..I can see how excited you must be)
Adult because I’m a fully certified one now.
Earn my own bread and butter and pay my taxes... Worry about the rising petrol prices.Realise what an ordeal it is to stand in queues at the BANKS,POST OFFICES,SCOOTY service stations....
Try to understand share markets.Keen about knowing the real estate return on investment situation.
Indulging in the very feminine attribute of “retail therapy”...
Start understanding the comic strip Dilbert and want more of it to read ...
Feel proud in gifting trinkets and treating my younger cousins boasting to them how they can have scoops of their favourite ice cream without worrying about how much their “didi “ will have to pay ..


Curse the official paper work for every little thing. Each time she comes to know about one of her friends getting engaged or worse getting married...makes her think “Oh my God! Am I approaching marriageable age??”
She manages 2 cell phones..(honest confession..can hardly manage them)
The once gregarious and garrulous Shrill forgets to reply to smses of her huge friend circle as she’s busy...fails to return mails to them..
she enters her room after office and opens the door,its almost a reflex action to pick the newspaper up from the doormat and keep it on the already 5 inch thick stack that has been piling up since day immemorial...
She procrastinates her appointment at the beauty parlour assuming the next day she’ll surely find time...
dabbles in her new found love of badminton or swimming...
Luckily staying in this posh hostel right in the heart of the town ensures that she at least DOESN’T presently need to worry about the LPG connection or depleting gas in the cylinder unlike her friends at different places.She sits with her colleagues /friends/hostelmates in the hostel mess
indulges in gossiping and B****ing about all the crap going at the office..and a certain Mr. X who has made everyone’s life a big mess...realising the mess food menu needs to be tinkered a bit..
Endless discussions on alternative career paths...
Goes back to her room
opens her mail and sees feeds from all the Quiz blogs she once used to frequent everyday,..opens a few of the quizzing links..too lazy to go through them navigates to her facebook page which lacks all the action that used to go on when she was in college..
Pledges to resume blogging
Attends to phone call from her mom who complains “why is ur phone never accessible??why don’t u ever bother to call home”
She quips “Ma Office Office..I’m a pro now...I’m a Professional now..”
Takes the book she has been trying to finish off since about a month,makes a move by going ahead with few pages...and the next she knows is that she has been lulled to sleep..
Untill she’s awakened by shouts and screeches from the next door rooms in the corridor..
“Aaaahhhh....It must again be that same lizard /gecko/chhipkali that must have freaked the girl in neighbouring room...hmmm..let me just switch off the light and go off to sleep..I need rest..I’m a tired soul..I’m a pro..I’m a professional..”

TIME FLIES -3

Apart from the intellectual gratification quizzing has given me…I must add that it has introduced me to ppl who are now great friends..With Time flies-3 I would like to showcase the friendship I forged with these guys and have learned so much in their company

Prabhakar or PK as we fondly call him is an extremely simple guy but yes not too simple as he too has his own share of fun in mischiefs and indulgences of his own kind…. and gyaan unparalled encompassing all spheres..we first teamed up when I was desperate to form a team to Spring Fest Quiz 2008 but the scene wasn’t certain..ppl were hemming and hawing about coming along..i remember calling up ppl on phone the entire day trying to jugaad a team..So, someone told me about Pk. I was told he was an extremely shy guy..consequently I asked Nikhil Dubey a yr senior to use his seniority and do the talking and convince this new chap to quiz along with us…I still remember Pk what a hit miss the entertainment Quiz was…Ohhhh!! If only we would have paid heed to ur answer “Andaaz” we wud have been in the finals and who knows even won it!!! The next miss was the very recent “hot shot “ answer which we missed out on Lax’s insistence..lesson for a lifetime..hehe

Always calm composed..Connoisseur when it comes to music..Tarquin’s collection on BIT LAN always would be in buzz.. will give u news out of Auto,Biz,movies(deadly knowledge on tamil hindi and any kind of film industry..both original and plagiarised)…yes and do not question Rahman’s talent in front of him..A self proclaimed Rahmaniac…he can any day write a biography on him..Can hit the dance floor with all the zest and zeal and can keep ppl raving about it too..
And yes PK’s credit on all our tours for launching “what is sneha eating photo shoot campaign??” also Pk catches couples on his camera on the fests we’ve been to and without letting them know..
u shud see Pk posing for photos..always in style with one different from the other.. Yo!! Pk the year 2010 broke your jinx of never getting cash from quizzes..keep the coins jingling… hope you do join a Quiz firm after the amazing research and questions you come up with…that has so often left me simply awestruck..and keep that good habit of betting and winning..and lemme kno the nxt time u’re in Jsr

Tanmay the “no nonsense” and now the “lichad banker” who as his friends know hardly ever gets off his computer..Full credit to the rich and regular Quizblog you initiated that’s now acclaimed in the blogosphere..and yes the way Pk and you have gone about mentoring and generating a mass awareness in BIT regarding quizzing too is laudable..The First time Tanmay called me to take part in a college event he went on “Sneha aap hamare saath team up karengi Technieek ke liye”
Oh my God!! My batchmate calling me with so much respect but then i came to know that he’s an Agra waala..so cud understand…Each time you try pulling his leg the poor guy wud just mumble “bhak..kuchh bhi!!”..
Tanmay “Agra is so tacky.Is there anything else apart from taj Mahal there??
“Tanmay likes this ” joke became much too popular because he was too kind to like everything his frnz shared on facebook..C’mon after this joke as Pk and I have noticed u became too choosy and selective about ur “likes” on facebook…Don’t care what ppl say..just keep “liking”
Considering that we shared some similar interests like “HOUSE M.D” ( Yippey at last we did get that T ready..) and south Indian food..
each we pester u about joining a fraudulent bank and the back end job profile…never knew you would take our jokes so seriously so as to ask “honestly tell me why do ppl say that this job suits me…” haha..
A great blogger and official quiz trip accountant and money bank who at the end of every quiz would hand us out a meticulously done balance sheet giving us a brief of our expenses and how much we need to pay and to whom…
and how worked up u were when u asked us “Someone said I look like a hooligan…Do I seriously look like a hooligan..??”
Haha..at least the TTE on the patliputra express must have thought so when we were returning from dhanbad when you faked your identity for a short while though..
Had you asked this question to females in our hstl they wud have denied yelling “No way…Tan is a really decent guy” Quite a fan following Tan..Good Luck !!

That makes me think Ashwyn should think twice before bestowing the honorary title of Ladies Magnet to himself…coz half of the time he’s totally frustrated with the traits of the opposite sex..a chauvinist ,a misogynist..who would go on to say “The Lesser the number of girls in an engg. Colg the better…as guys get distracted and lose vision and enterprise in worldly matters in the company of girls”….haha!! “There aint a single girl with whom I can strike an intellectual conversation” A highly cryptic and eccentric personality which I think he considers his USP…who thinks cell phone is a liability and never keeps one..So if u wanna pass on some info God help!!or check out the dhabas near BIT..
Oh..No..dont ever engage with him in a debate coz he’ll never come round or even listen to your views.. A chain smoker who would go and ignite his brain by a cig before every quiz and once got into trouble when we went for a quiz to a colg that was a “no smoking NIT allahabad campus” Hmmm.. was mesmerized only once when in a Spring fest at IIT kgp saw a lady who was circling smoke with the skill that even he dint possess ..Alas!! she already had her beau next to her
This Guy has an amazing intuition and maestro of guess work..High Fives keep striking each time he gets those answers out of nowhere..
I must add his oneliners and bonmots add zest to our group and yes his frnz will totally agree how we do miss his tattle tongue when he’s not around…After also having worked with him in the Training and Placement Cell he will always be courteous in getting food for ppl he knows ;and also girls he doesn’t know...gets in trouble at times but yes nonchalantly gets out of it too..Will always miss the scene when u need him urgently as he’s out whiffing taking a break….

Ahhh..that one day Kolkata trip to quiz at Science city..when we decided to walk from science city to park street after figuring it out on a google earth map not to scale… tell a calcuttan this and they’ll laugh to pieces as the distance is unfathomable..The quizzical way we went exploring esplanade..and my suggestions u guys have always trusted whenever it comes to fooding…Remember how we crossed the thoroughfare near esplanade the four of us running across the square at 9 at night as there was no stop to the raining kolkata traffic…Rosogullas at KC das and idli at Dulal Nandi… Slept all through the lecture while some IIM prof went pontificating about strategy…and hooted at the SF quizmaster this time…chatted till 5 am in Hatia Howrah about anything and everything under the sun..and yes when Lakshmi suffered from that virulent sun stroke on our way back from MLNIT after making a clean sweep at Gnosiomania Quiz fest …what a tough time we faced getting her deported to the hospital..still we all braved it knowing we were together..
I’ll miss those innumerable discussion sessions on gtalk and bakar that have made us a team Q-BIT..and the long distances we’ve travelled together..as we’ll now be busy Quenching Life’s Curiosity…

TIME FLIES - 2

What a great day to write a blog..today I’ve packed lock stock and barrel reached home leaving the college…and as the old song goes.. “I guess nothing lasts forever…”
Now I really wonder why some of the bestsellers are woven along the threads of college life…why sid,akash and sameer made DCH timeless??
Or why five point someone was a nation wide hit??

I wouldn’t have cried,while leaving my frnz….No,seriously philosophical as it may sound..but the joy that you have given me outdoes the grief I am struck with when I leave you……So here it goes:I can seriously write a biopic on the mentioned people..but yes let me see how bad I am at summarizing..

Dear Lax:
I never thought I’ll meet someone so similar to me..yet so different from me..girl!!I feel so proud of having had an association with you…If there could be a “Phunsuk Wangdu” with a gender reversal I bet she would have been pretty much like you..and yes when I listen to the song.. “Behti hawa sa thha who…” Its u on the periphery of my thoughts..
I remember how Annie and I were awestruck when we used to see you go write the exam without studying and that too after having had a good time sleep for 8 hrs..how u would fidget around about one hour before the exam..and come across our room properly dressed up saying..”hum kuchh padhai nahi kiyein hain”...while we were trying to hold onto the last straw as drowning examinees..

How can I forget the pranks zeenat and I played by singing all the “PARDESI” featuring bollywood songs..and yes victory!!especially for shilpika and myself as we transformed you from a total Hindi-ignorant to the sweetest Hindi speaker amongst us..But sad!! I know It’ll be gone in 60 seconds as soon as you leave the place…and yes next few years you’’l be ready with accented Canadian English..Oh yeah thanks for capturing those lovely images..:P :P

Rebel..free thinker..vegan…fitness freak..a humungous hogger...F-1 junkie..geek..sprinter..lawn tennis star..a superb artist,environmentalist, animal lover,quizzer,a stellar chef…ahhh a proud MAC user...oh yeah and an amazing conversationalist..for all those who love masala..churned controversial gossips..LAX is anyday a delight as she proudly says “I love controversies..” and yes for those who take pleasure in knowledge and all scholarly gyaan..enjoy her company…

Dear Zeenat..
Of all the crazy and nonsensical songs and shrieks we’ve made..ahh I’ll miss them..i remember how in the first sem I had this opinion about you of a juvenile school girl as you would imitate voices of all possible creatures..Dogs..cats..Phew!!
And yes need I mention short term memory loss..or the Zeenat field effect wherein under your influence..we forgot everybody else’s name..
Need I mention how u once shouted X by the name Y..and the case being X and Y just hated each other…..the best being how during the end sems you sat for the exam and when the examiner asked you “which exam?” you went blank…no answer at all…until someone else answered that… trying hard to remember why u were there?? Haha…the prof sure had a good time when he asked you at the end of exam…..”now u know which exam you came for”…. the ever creative ,artistic and bubbly Zeenat..paradoxically laziest person I know who found it even hard to go lift a pen from the next table…At the same time I’ll miss the trips to Sports complex…the badminton we played .the nature lover talks..the WARREN BUFFET funda of not carrying the cellphone….those witty one liners..

Dear Shilpika…
In the first year I just knew you as the girl who came to the college on the first day..sat next to me..and the first question she asked me “ how much is ur AIEEE rank??.Yahaan placemets kaise hote hain??highest placement offer kitne ka gaya??”…Ooops..wrong person I thought..Now u know why I never talked to you again during the entire first year..I never thought a day would come when you would become completely stop thinking about placements..and prepare for UPSC day and night..Good LUCK gal!! and keep those one-liners coming..and yes I’ll miss how crazily and whackily we were the first ones to burst out dancing during anyone’s birthday!!
Aaahhhhh…shilpika plzzz…plzzz..dont go to anyone else in the world with your silly doubts…just give me a BSNL call..and yes change your taste…gorillas are a passé…have a new interest…(wink wink)
Hope you rule your jurisdiction with the same guts as you rule hearts..If there was one person on whom all the jokes were played..It sure had to be you..
Dear Neha….
Sweet…pretty…always ready to help…ready with suggestions..extremely practical and lady like…thanks fr teaching me the art of bargaining…and I thought only I could haggle to save those pennies..i should delete “shrillonomics”…thanks for taking me through the nook and crannies of Ranchi…oh yes and the restaurant suggestions have helped me a lot…I really admire the big sister way you would tend to Rasna…and your fiercely independent attitude…street smart..and other beautiful times we spent ragging shilpika shukla…

Dear Ananya…
3 years one room…one word "Thank you…"
You know I can’t put it in words….



At times ppl don’t weep when they see their frnz off till the station or till the time they’ve said the last goodbye…they look behind cherish those memories..and think….. “Yaar…what days…..!!” a tear or 2 maybe roll down at times..and then there will be smiles again….

TIME FLIES-1

Each time I wrote a post on my blog..I’ve wanted people to read it and like it..For the first time I’m trying to lift that burden off me..after all life shouldn’t always be about pleasing others… you Also need to do what you like doing ….simply to please your own self....And here I am with a series dedicated to the wonderful people I’ve met in these 4 years of college ,who have enriched my life by staying with me in lovely times gone by…and more importantly taught me a lot about life..
I sure will retell them to my children and grandchildren in years to come…for these will reside in the core of my heart...
Being a Taurus,I like being Secretive about myself,for once I’ll spill the beans…
There are many I express my gratitude to..A few I’ll write about coz U’ve made me who I am now…today..

Chronologically

PRIYANKA & MEGHA (Pranka & Bondhu respectively) –
You 2 were the only people I knew when I came here..
I’m happy megha learned to smile and started to enjoy life and taking it less seriously because in Pranka’s company any one can laugh...each time I uttered a joke or an “idea” you guys would come up with…
“Shut up Sneha”..yeah and that impromptu “dil dooba” dance that we captured that looked like choreographed when it reached others..
and the number of times you guys would rush into my rooms and then hurriedly get out and ask me to clean it saying… “kuchh to safai aur organization seekho…”
Remember how worried u were at the mess table when I asked U how much I had scored in Maths 2 and you were so afraid to tell me I’d got a single digit 8/25…and from then on always egged on to me to study..
And Gals ..so much of weight loss tips..that I shrunk from 78 kgs to my present state..
“Sneha,how very unpredictable and how very Confused??”you guys would scream…
each time when I wasn’t sure if I would go home or not…If I would goto class or not…I would eat or not..had my own unplanned lost world…
Yeah yeah..my phone never buzzed in the first year..never got those blank calls…and never got to hear those pick up lines in Fugia or Valentines day unlike you….BITOTSAV was great when we decided at the last moment to plunge in and got that bullock cart inside the campus..we were the DESIMAL (pun intended)..With the advent of DC++ and internet We’d flock on one computer..chat,watch movies..
Most often conversations spurred by each one of us shouting aloud from our rooms…at times in codewords..
my Reliance network was euphemistically messy..And the LH classrooms where we would take turns in sleeping and commenting on others…star ratings..I needn’t mention in the public purview of what a vantage point we had as PMC was close to our hostel and we saw all dudes,darlings live and exclusive..
Pranka would come with the whackiest practical jokes…and gutsiest dares…As time has passed..we changed..so have our equations..
for better or worse..I cannot say....I’ll always look back to the powerpuffed gals…and remember bubbles,blossoms and buttercups..

NADU and HAANTHHI:
To these great guys who introduced me to college Quizzing…blogging..reading..and still fill me with inspiration each time we confabulate…and Man nadu!! Its only now that I know what God like reverence ppl in all batches have had for u especially girls(if u’re reading this..smile)..lucky to have had u as a mentor ,friend ,philosopher and Guide..
and Haanthhi as a socialite..u cud seriously make Paris Hilton feel belittled..not to mention that elephantine memory…and not to mention those quirky flip flops..
why would a final year guy going to IIT Kgp with his gang of friends to have a great time partying and Quizzing bother to take a first year nobody to Quizzing??only because she had once requested to be introduced to quizzing..loyalty towards your frnz; I remember u told me is of utmost importance to you; and I realized it in all these years..And this is what you told me.. “I want you to get exposure to college quizzing and continue it because things fizz out easily in BIT..”
I’ve tried my best nadu…
And that adventurous Trip to Kgp will always be afresh with you,Sumit,khadke,Rathore,Anish and Haanthhi..Felt so lucky to have come in contact with Super Seniors like you guys…may you continue your work on assistive technologies and may ur very special dream come true…
Haanthhi..NKV Shouldn’t you be sorry for the number of times u’ve kept ppl waiting??actually..No..coz u compensate for it by giving them the GYAAN..that even encyclopedias may fail..A breathless speaker..who would just prattle his gobbledegook in one dizzy breath..that many times havnt made any sense to me..but just admire him for the way he is…sweet and at times EMO..the first time I met him he cussed out aloud on the stage in front of a Ranchi audience..Oh My God!!what did he just say??why do I keep hearing that four lettered word every time in college…sorry haanthhi but that was new to me..
A mimicry artist who is by far the best in imitating me..and yes..do watch the movie Haanthhi suggests..

Ankhuri,Shradha,Sonam,Monica,Kritika,Khowla—

SHRADHA Madam..ever since u taught me BEE I told u one day u’re gonna be a big proff one day…now seeing ur journals published in MIT’s pyre and IEEE journals..Good luck with MS+Phd at Texas

ANKHURI—what a combination of beauty,style and sensibility and talent..As I’ve always felt ideal Girl and Ideal “bahu”
SONAM and KHOWALA-ur deadly short forms and innocence and woah that dance..guys I know in these 4 years u’ve never reached class on time..hope ur boss is able to teach u a lesson…
KRITIKA and MONICA—sweet,smiling and pure fun..





to be continued...lots of other frnz to come..