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Tuesday, October 28, 2008

It's Diwali time



Friends,

Although, the market is down with the bull reeling with high fever, yet we would celebrate Deepavali (or Diwali) with full pomp and show. The festival of lights brings about a feeling of happiness which is inexplicable.
So, I take this opportunity to wish all of you a very happy Diwali.
Enjoy the festivities. May all darkness be abolished from the earth. May there be light.

Image courtesy: http://www.su-web.nottingham.ac.uk

Saturday, October 18, 2008

0.5 Molar solution?




"aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!"

You are surprised? You must be... It's me screaming at the top of my voice. You know why? It's because I have lost something. What? Friends, love, valuables.....
No... It's my tooth... my beloved molar in the lower right jaw! He died a painful death the other day, when I was thinking about savouring a delicious piece of chicken at a small party.
Poor me... I was hurt... For a minute or two I was dumbfounded. I could not make out whether it was my tooth or a leftover of the piece... But I observed that a hollow cavity had appeared in my gum... Immediately I went to the washroom and thoroughly washed my mouth, just to check if any more remnants remained. But, poor me... It was only half gone... The upper visible part was gone, but the root was very much present! The days that followed were not very pleasant either... The part swelled out of proportions and I could not chew anything. There was very little time, so I could not visit a dentist either! All these compounded problems for me... what irritated me most was the fact that all the parties were scheduled on subsequent days, one after the other... and I did not stand a chance to enjoy any of them...
All of these in 'past' tense! So what's the present like?
Well, finally I visited a dentist and had medicines... I am using one end of my mouth to chew, the left jaw to be exact... but you know, overload causes breakdown! And now, I have started fearing about my left molars as well...

Friends, do you have a solution to this? (apart from surgery)

Image courtesy: http://images.elfwood.com

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Ma abar esho!



The end of Durga Puja' 2008 is near. Today is Bijoya Dashami or Dussehra. The oh-so-beautiful idols would be immersed and the 'bisorjon' would be carried out shortly whereby the idols would be immersed in the Ganges. The City of Joy thus moves into a state of melancholy. The divine Mother would be leaving for her heavenly abode soon enough with her children, only to return again next year. Dussehra celebrates the win of 'Good' against 'Evil', but it also brings an end to the five day long Puja and the eagerly awaited festivities.
As always, this year too saw some brilliant displays of art and culture in the Puja pandals. The craftsmanship was of pretty high standards and one was awe-struck at the sheer brilliance of the artists involved. There were several Pandals which carried out themes to depict a special incident or an event or even a page from history and also related it to the ritual. There were also others who stuck to the age old traditions and culture and carried out the Puja, just as it has been done throughout in the entire history. Nevertheless, each exuded a kind of devotion for the Mother which was unique.
The biggest plus was the unity of the people irrespective of the status, class, caste, creed, religion or nationality. Each and every individual enjoyed in his or her own ways. The Mother's doors were open for all and sundry.
In the midst of it all, one could not help but wonder, how could people kill each other in the name of religion. There is one God and we are all his children, regardless of the path we choose to offer our prayers!
Alas! Few people do not understand this!
Sorry, friends, I do not intend to end this post on such a gloomy note. Rather, I would like to wish all of you my sincerest greetings on the occasion of Dussehra and Bijoya. Whichever part of the world, you might hail from, may God bless you and your families with His choicest blessings!

Wish you all "Happy Dussehra" and "Subha Bijoya" !!!

...and for the Mother, "Ma abar esho!"

Photograph courtesy: http://www.bangalinet.com

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Singur Puja

Hello friends

Sorry for the delay in writing a new post. All this while, I was busy doing nothing! hehe.. :D Forget it!

Now that I have returned, I have two HOT topics with me. Don't be baffled by the title of the post. It's not for a 'Puja in Singur' or '(Media) Worship of the Singur issue'! I will discuss the incidents separately, which are mainly related to West Bengal but having an impact not only on India, but worldwide.



The first is obviously the Singur controversy. As far the latest update is concerned, Mr Ratan Tata is moving away in search of greener pastures (here it was grey, not even green, those who know would understand). So the much awaited Tata Nano factory would not be built in Singur. Lets not get into, who was responsible for what! Politics is not my cup of tea and am least bothered about it! The concerning factor is that, this would be a big jolt towards projecting West Bengal (and for that matter, even India) as an investment-friendly destination for the big corporates. Questions are already being raised about if Mr Tata could face these kinds of reaction on his home turf, what would be the plight of overseas investors. I would not dare answer these. There are others, much older than me, much more adept at gauging industry trends, much more people friendly (read 'janta ke sevak')and much more concerned about whether the country's youth should have a right to change their fortunes, it's for them to answer. Much print has already been used up on this grim issue, so let’s move over to something more soothing and happier.


Yes! The festival times have begun all over India with the 'Navratris' starting from 30th September'2008 all over India as well as the Durga Puja (mainly, but not limited to) in West Bengal. Today is 'Shashthi'. The Durga Puja starts from today itself. Next come 'Saptami', 'Ashtami', 'Nabami', 'Dashami'. I would not go into the details (frankly I do not know that much!), but being a Kolkattan, for me, the pleasure lies in the sheer enjoyment that people indulge in throughout all these days. There is the tradition of buying clothes and dress materials for near and dear ones before the festival begins, which they put on during the festival time and go out 'pandal hopping' (For those who do not know the term, let me tell you, it simply implies you go from one pandal to another offering your prayers to Devi Durga and admiring the wonderful craftsmanship on display). With this, eating and merry making play an important part as well with food courts catering 24*7 throughout these 4-5 days. Children have ample fun with the 'Phuchkas', 'Alu kablis', 'Bhelpuris' and good old ice creams. Overall, for many, this is the time of the year when enjoyment is at its peak! If you are an atheist, do not worry, you still have access to pubs and nightclubs to chill yourself, and even high end restaurants with all the delicacies that you can dream of! Only, your pocket needs to be heavy, else you miss out on the fun. As far as pure devotion is concerned, simply watching a Puja in progress is enough to purify the soul and to bring about peace of mind!

References:
http://www.durga-puja.org
http://www.indoryoko.net
http://www.dancewithshadows.com