tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17415751655256911562012-02-08T22:44:14.914+05:30Life rains on...a few stray dropsCasuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.comBlogger2231100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-30578387374978712322012-01-25T20:18:00.001+05:302012-01-25T20:37:24.912+05:30

This is a long overdue post, actually composed last September when I was in my previous job (by the way, the colleagues mentioned are not the ones so dear to me, hailing either from the first or second floor staffrooms. They are excepted with complete dignity from my emotional hangover :-) DISCLAIMER : And no, I do not intend to give offence to that huge chunk of humanity which is incredulous

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-72754470292831819282011-12-06T20:28:00.053+05:302011-12-06T21:25:05.077+05:30

I just noticed that I've made no posts in a long time. Well, I'm not happy about it...that's all I have to say.Have been feeling really down of late...totally swamped in work, checking all these annual exam answer scripts...the same answers, with all sorts of ridiculous variations in spelling, logic and creativity (not meant to be taken constructively)...pain in all my joints...dreaming of white

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-58395907727253801942011-10-20T12:04:00.006+05:302011-10-20T12:22:51.692+05:30

The Puja vacations...Once I used to plan so much to do during vacations and then ended up doing very little. Except maybe catch up with friends, spend lazy mornings reading on the bed or sunning myself after a bath on an easy chair in the late afternoon sun in the verandah and watching TV in the evenings.Now I don't plan. I take things as they come. Like when I spent an hour every evening last

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-36381871917528446922011-09-26T19:25:00.004+05:302011-09-26T19:40:02.293+05:30

I just discovered something that's not going to be of any use whatsoever in my mundane life. Neither will the knowledge of it contribute anything to your perhaps equally humdrum lives.Yet the thought filled me with a curious sense of gladness.It's only that there are a couple of fireflies on our rooftop terrace :-)Now, that reminds me of a curious thing we noticed during our Bangalore trip. On

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-79822730972815769482011-09-24T11:28:00.004+05:302011-09-24T11:34:34.251+05:30

Well, we recently bought a tandoor oven that is supposed to be able to be able to toast, grill, bake, roast, defrost, reheat and so on and so forth. Versatile, huh ?Anyway, I really wanted to share the photo of the first thing we tried out with it, home made pizza with capsicum, onions, tomatoes and cheese. It was really good !What do you think ?

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-31817662774359224852011-08-10T12:23:00.007+05:302011-08-10T12:46:41.837+05:30

I've often wondered why people bother to hate when they can have an easier way out : love. I know Gandhiji isn't around any more and it's easier to preach than to practise in todays' world but I've tried in my own way to believe in the force of love. A positive emotion is always easier to act on than a negative one, I've found. And no one's asking you to forget after all, just to forgive and move

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-3791171101474612152011-07-07T19:20:00.008+05:302011-07-07T19:53:48.803+05:30

Sometimes it seems like there's no hope and life will never turn around.For you and I have walked a long way together but we still forget our destination and stop at every crossroad, wondering which road to take.I keep on cutting my feet on shards of glass mostly invisible to the eye, but glittering deceptively once in a while. They confuse me into believing that I may find a few stars strewn

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-6527006480670911212011-07-04T12:09:00.003+05:302011-07-04T12:18:44.024+05:30

This Saturday weekend, we were on our way to visit a friend's father who had recently been hospitalised for a complicated lung condition. We were not sure what we should take for him by way of wishing him health, so we decided to play safe and buy a card (we finally ended up buying a stick of mauve orchid as well). We were on our way to the closest mall, where there is an Archies, but spotted an

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-64373936489779764492011-06-22T11:09:00.007+05:302011-06-22T11:37:03.412+05:30

The Jew's Song(Inspired by 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas' )My eyes still sting in shameI fear to utter my nameLest I be branded Unsung and unhandedUnmanned and unlandedJust for being a Jew.My history lies in ruinsMy children sing no tunesLest I be taken awayTorn and turned astrayBattered into a block of clayJust for being a Jew.My breath chokes out of a chamberA nightmare none shall

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-5723870427475010612011-06-04T16:58:00.015+05:302011-06-04T18:05:02.176+05:30

Beauty is highly overrated, I think.No, I wasn't always so progressive in my thoughts. In fact, I shed copious amount of tears when in class X because of the dubious power of this strange myth of beauty. I was very much in love with a classmate and he didn't reciprocate. A close common friend consoled me by what now seems like a most unappropriate piece of wisdom. That I should get used early to

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-79585201724110772382011-06-03T18:53:00.003+05:302011-06-03T19:06:56.293+05:30

Sometimes we forget to wonder about the little pleasures of life that while we were growing up, once made our parents so happy. For instance, it is the tendonitis (de Quervain's Disease)I'm suffering from (I'm still undergoing treatment for it) that reminded me how a basic action like being able to write or type or feed myself or wear my own clothes myself or being able to soap myself in the

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-16707310712211617042011-05-26T13:50:00.001+05:302011-05-26T13:52:02.170+05:30

Just as I was begin to hope I'd be more regular in my posts, I end up with a dislocated wrist joint. And the final exams are less than a month away ! :-(

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-47570962561480956282011-05-14T10:31:00.024+05:302011-05-14T13:10:30.951+05:30

Well, yes, the BEd practical exams are over and now I have more than a month to prepare for the 600 marks' theory exams. So I'm back !There's so much I should have been blogging about that I hardly know where to start.For instance, India won the World Cup. I should have been studying but it was an impossible task, considering that the cheers or boos of the neighbourhood could hardly escape normal

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-4403201730025216842011-02-15T11:50:00.006+05:302011-02-15T12:08:10.298+05:30

Hey guys ! Sorry I've done the vanishing act of late...this BEd course is so damn tasking, what with its endless lesson plans before and now all the pedagogical analyses and simulated lessons that we have to pen for the practical papers (English and Bengali)...and more charts and models ahead...a computer project (my topic is 'Terrorism : Role of Media')...class tests...oooooooooof !I'm all the

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-46707862887387474812010-12-23T21:51:00.011+05:302011-01-24T14:43:06.539+05:30

(Photo courtesy : Wikipedia )MIRCH : A film worth watching.Humour, pathos, suspense, sexuality...in short, an aesthetic feast. Wonderful performances from all concerned (Arunoday Singh's a revelation !): Raima, Konkona, Ila Arun, Boman Irani, Shreyas Talpade, Shahana Goswami, Sushant Singh...an ensemble cast who complement each other to perfection and compliment the director's faith in them.

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-15270939304428062922010-12-21T12:11:00.004+05:302010-12-21T12:17:12.757+05:30

Ok, so there was a strike yesterday. There was violence before that. People were hurt, people were killed. Our BEd pre-test exam got postponed by a day amidst unprecedented controversy and widespread resentment.My question : Would the tragic hero want his memories to be sullied by people (who didn't even remotely know him) recalling his name as that person who was (in)directly responsible for

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-48009059159447104282010-12-16T19:20:00.016+05:302010-12-17T10:42:12.103+05:30

What is it about 'Koffee with Karan' that makes even the most reticent of celebrities open up like they've been waiting all their lives for this one hour's worth of national showtime to share the deepest secrets from their innermost being ? And how is it that Karan Johar has this incredible effect on everyone...someone as forthright as Kareena to someone as discreet as Bipasha ? I have been

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-74557288775478752552010-12-05T20:10:00.006+05:302010-12-05T20:31:29.804+05:30

It's nice to have some friends with whom you can be yourself. Just sit back and listen to them and that in itself makes you happy. School and college friends usually comprise this elite category but it's rare to also have ex-colleagues with whom you are still in touch and long to reunite with, from time to time. When we were young, there were friends and best friends. Now I feel enlightened.

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-56376033102444522972010-11-12T12:03:00.008+05:302010-11-18T10:12:47.343+05:30

Those which come to my mind right now :The BEd pre-test is due and so is the final teaching day. Breathing down my neck, night and day. So I'm working and studying on a regular basis. Hard work is a shortcut to success, I've always found.I finally made a perfect omelette last night. Unfortunately, there was no witness and I ate it before I could photograph it. Very me, of course.I'm planning to

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-73511280833340577272010-10-25T12:11:00.011+05:302010-11-09T10:09:27.650+05:30

Well, we've just finished watching 'Autograph' and 'Angshumaner Chhobi' back to back. A happy coincidence, since both films deal (although in drastically different ways) with the Bengali film industry and the inner lives of its fraternity. I am not planning a comparative review of the two, though. Just jotting down a few things that struck me while watching each of them.'Autograph' was

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-16351334505101491662010-10-01T20:38:00.008+05:302010-10-06T10:45:48.313+05:30

K came home at 4 pm yesterday . He informed a stupefied me that IBM had even declared a holiday for their employees, fearing the worst that might result from the Ayodhya verdict.An English daily doesn't mince words today when it comes to Advani and the BJP. Apparently, they have invited the Muslims of the country, out of sheer pity, it seems, to help in building a grand temple for Ram on the

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-45876821904103262682010-09-21T22:01:00.002+05:302010-09-21T22:03:54.822+05:30

Someone close tells me I overreact to and over-analyse every situation in life. A B.Ed. batchmate and colleague tells me that I'm too straightforward to survive life.Well, now. I'm totally confused !

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-23791699511912825062010-09-08T17:24:00.008+05:302010-09-08T17:43:53.450+05:30

Watched 'Peepli [Live]' last Sunday. The film's still going housefull. But somehow I'm still brooding over it.There's something curiously detached about the film. It touches a chord and you have that 'this is so true-to-life' feeling several times, which makes you nod gently to yourself. But it's very Dev D in its execution, by which I mean 'no nyakami and no

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-28750892562514297842010-09-05T00:15:00.004+05:302010-09-05T00:23:00.113+05:30

I'm halfway through Iris. And scared.What if it happens to me ?John Bayleys are hard to find nowadays, you know.

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-34113480086800228992010-08-08T11:35:00.004+05:302010-08-08T11:54:16.867+05:30

I'm very down and out today.I don't know what it is that makes me feel this way. It might be the fortnight-old cold that just doesn't seem to cure. It might be the fact that S and I are off to catch 'Aisha' today but without Ko, whose grandpa's down with malaria. It might be because my friend's marriage is on the rocks. It might be because I have so little time for myself nowadays that I don't

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-809120866526770432010-07-27T22:15:00.053+05:302010-07-28T14:11:36.946+05:30

The review of Inception by Time magazine's Richard Corliss echoes my first thoughts while watching the closing credits roll :"Finally, its noble intent is to implant one man's vision in the mind of a vast audience ... The idea of moviegoing as communal dreaming is a century old. With Inception, viewers have a chance to see that notion get a state-of-the-art update".After a long time, I think I

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-23165685197464793442010-07-23T10:01:00.025+05:302010-07-23T22:06:59.640+05:30

Yesterday, in the English Method class, AR made us teach the texts we had recently submitted lesson plans on, with the help of the latter. Having been absent for two consecutive days due to a stomach bug, I was initially clueless about what to do. Turns out most of my classmates were in a similar state, even though they'd been informed about the thing in the last class. Naturally. I mean, not all

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-84375993460357366122010-07-12T22:48:00.002+05:302010-07-13T15:57:30.283+05:30

I've been pulled up by two different teachers in two different B. Ed. classes for appearing sleepy. And let me, tell you, it isn't nice being asked why you are drowsy in front of your classmates, most of whose names you aren't even acquainted with, it's so early in the session. I do admit that I've been having some difficulty waking up at my usual time in the mornings nowadays, but that doesn't

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-78667524639343420372010-07-02T21:48:00.001+05:302010-07-02T21:54:14.200+05:30

I've just lost 8 kg.Yes, thank you, I appreciate the applause. Especially since losing weight has never been a piece of cake for me or for anyone else, I gather. At least as easy as piling on the kilos.Everyone is asking me1) How I lost so much weight (which I interpret as "How can you be so consistent in exercise or diet or whatever it is you do ?")2) Why you need to lose 6 kg more ( which means

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-18847724601639117612010-06-29T19:04:00.002+05:302010-06-29T19:11:11.173+05:30

DESIREI meditate in my caveDefeated by devotionDevoid of dimension and distractionJudgement, emotion and conventionAll that tie me to my idol of myselfAnd render me an unhappy iconoclast.I seek to be free from all desireAnything my senses depend onTo beguile them from what they lackAnd yet, think they may just...a little, possess.For it is true, I think I know,Nothing belongs to me nowNothing

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-29288595709705752582010-06-29T18:23:00.002+05:302010-07-05T23:54:59.484+05:30

This is about the spur-of-the-moment decision we are still rueing. Namely, turning a purposeful visit to the nearby Metropolis Mall to order a new pair of spectacles into an evening of fun at the multiplex. While on our way, I was wondering if we could meet some friends at the food court and catch up and K obliged by calling up his college friend A and his wife D. It transpired that they were in

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-53190713664348646872010-06-19T21:53:00.005+05:302010-06-19T22:24:16.247+05:30

Hey guys...sorry for the hiatus, but things have really been very hectic and stressful on the personal front and I was too passive and preoccupied, reacting to non-stop exigencies, to express myself. In short, things kept on piling up before I could acknowledge their existence at all.Anyway, I'm back and I couldn't resist putting this up here...it's worth a read !CLASSES FOR WOMEN....Training

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-22347956207066373952010-05-01T09:47:00.002+05:302010-05-01T10:01:00.539+05:30

HIGHS :The chocolates and toffees that accompany my students' b'days. Most of which I pass on to weight-oblivious family members.The authority to order people about and inform them that you are the law.Eating lunch on time, just like the students.The permission to give free advice without being considered didactic.The liberty to dress up in and consider looking good part of your daily

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-49325361988201830532010-04-26T21:15:00.008+05:302010-07-09T22:38:11.183+05:30

"The thirsty earth soaks up the rain and drinks and gapes for drink again..." ---- Abraham CowleyThe first kaalboishakhi of the season has just been here...and how !I didn't know what to do...the scent of the wet earth after the first rain, the sight of the trees

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-45603134602502872312010-04-25T17:51:00.001+05:302010-07-09T22:39:04.232+05:30

From my windowI had gone out this morning to exchange some T-shirts I'd bought at an unbelievable discount (but had forgotten to check whether they fit, so very me) this morning. I got down from the auto and was walking the last bit home when I had a strange emotional experience.It started with this purple-and-lavender painted house I was glancing at as I passed by. It looked so cool and fresh

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-35224693529146633392010-04-19T22:02:00.003+05:302010-07-09T22:39:39.304+05:30

Ma and me ;-) Mitu the model :-)Me :-) My friend Sohini's back in town. And this time with an unexpected gift : a little baby boy, Soham :-)Juieen and I are still debating whether the little fellow looks like his mother or whether that is something we shouldn't be losing sleep over so early in the day; after all children's faces change so much as they grow. Me for instance. When I was young,

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-32425198971818097752010-04-09T17:47:00.008+05:302010-07-09T22:40:10.187+05:30

Last night, I dreamed of someone I had loved and lost. Someone who my near-thirty years of innocence and desire had slowly, steadily moulded into life... and then, destroyed. Someone who was the climax of my older, younger ardour, the crystallisation of my spartan, monotheist faith. Someone who I dreamed into life, lived into religion, religiously summoned from the sphere of souls to love,

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-74208381440584229622010-04-06T10:04:00.028+05:302010-07-09T22:40:57.960+05:30

I was proud and pleased to spot the following ad (please click to enlarge) in the 'Metro' supplement of today's 'The Telegraph, Kolkata'. Having freelanced for the newspaper for about 5 years now, anything worth eulogising in its pages always helps make my day. Besides, it struck a chord with me because of a previous post I had made recently on somewhat similar lines.It's nice to see the media

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-75153817065371952552010-03-31T08:55:00.012+05:302010-07-09T22:41:43.987+05:30

We all need wings to fly. But what happens when the wings become vestigial and our torpor makes us forget the sky and its infinite solace ? It is then time we wake up and weigh ourselves and find what is wanting. Realise that just living for others has no reward, sometimes we need to live for our own dreams. For the others may leave you to lead their own lives but your self remains, always to

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-80919445054899844072010-03-29T08:03:00.011+05:302010-03-30T19:31:15.453+05:30

STAR-CROSSEDHe did not harbour regrets :A scapegoat would do the job.Memories were just pretty leafletsOne could sweep indoors and turn the knob.Departing for the sake of worth and valueAll that stoked the fire in her soul,She nursed the past with a halo...Autumn leaves that echoed in her bowl.He travelled in the heat of summerTo lands shrouded by the age of trees ;Unseeing of the silent star who

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-48717992309627955092010-03-24T22:36:00.009+05:302010-03-25T14:01:56.256+05:30

DEAD FLOWERS ON OUR GRAVESometimes, love just isn't enough.When windows light up the city skyBut darkness dawns on my eyes,It's time to draw the curtainsTo mourn the need to arise.For he lies drunk in slumberHaving done his good deed of the day ;But I must stand, silent and sombre,Sober mistakes rankling bloody and grey.We travelled a morning misty but magicalFlowers smiling our way to a home...

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-75518302878060733402010-03-23T00:52:00.006+05:302010-07-09T22:43:19.690+05:30

"A lover masculine so disappointed can speak and urge explanation, a lover feminine can say nothing; if she did, the result would be shame and anguish, inward remorse for self-treachery. Nature would brand such demonstration as a rebellion against her instincts, and would vindictively repay it afterwards by the thunderbolt of self-contempt smiting suddenly in secret. Take the matter as you find

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-9073804425692687932010-03-16T22:09:00.001+05:302010-07-09T22:44:11.716+05:30

Dimma (my maternal grandma) died around 5.10 pm on Sunday morning. Ma called me up early in the morning. Having received news that Dimma had lapsed into a coma, she said she'd be leaving within a couple of hours for Panagarh (of the military base fame) where Dimma had been staying with my mejomashi (my middle aunt) for the last few years. Because of my back problem , I needn't go over and stay at

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-3647993114781696842010-03-12T19:34:00.005+05:302010-07-09T22:44:51.272+05:30

I was reading an interview of Nandita Das a couple of days ago in 'The Telegraph'. It ended with an interesting rhetorical. I can't recall her exact words, but summed up, they more or less ran as follows :Why on earth would we do something in life unless it was something we really really wanted to do ?She has a point. Why indeed ?

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-1759272195293877822010-03-10T10:40:00.037+05:302010-07-09T22:45:16.952+05:30

Several of my friends have become new mothers recently. At most get-togethers where we nowadays come across them, I feel like an outsider. The conversation mostly centres around the needs, eccentricities, trials & tribulations and the daily routine of the mother-and-child. The conversations are by themselves rather interesting and often give unexpected angles into the way a woman's life is

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-74643826798066186432010-03-08T23:11:00.007+05:302010-07-09T22:45:48.157+05:30

I just read this article. The link was provided by my JU classmate Romila on Facebook. Read it for yourself, blogolleagues. I'd be interested in what you guys have to say about this.Btw, this was my friend's reaction, in case you are interested :"small moan" from yourself indeed ! let her also register her objection with a small blow with the nearest hairbrush...

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-26780867025895386522010-03-02T19:52:00.002+05:302010-07-09T22:46:18.258+05:30

There's not too much of nature to go ga ga over here in our neighbourhood, which is one of the relatively new localities along the E.M.Bypass. In fact, it's still in a state of considerable concretisation, which recently made me succumb to an allergy attack that came and went like a child's smile, only not half as welcome. Now what does one do when one is as used to greenery as I have been since

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-64189525804804303182010-02-23T10:16:00.008+05:302010-07-09T22:47:00.648+05:30

Why is it that I feel like seeking sanctuary at the Osho ashram in Pune everytime I'm out on the roads of Kolkata ?Is it because I seem to hear nothing but car horns honking all the time : a cacophony that penetrates into my eardrums and threatens to deprive me of my sanity for good...a noise that I've been used to since school-going days and which I still can't suffer without feeling my blood

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-24863064274092191622010-02-17T12:24:00.001+05:302010-03-02T19:46:31.531+05:30

It seems like ages since I've last posted. And indeed, so much has happened in between !Bapi turned 60. For the first time, all the members of our apartment celebrated Saraswati Pujo together, as one big family. K and I participated in the Republic day annual sports at my baaper baarir para (the locality my parents reside in) and didn't fare as miserably as we thought we would. One particular

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-49855396247942233052010-02-07T14:49:00.002+05:302010-03-02T19:47:11.268+05:30

My friend D just had a caesarean. She was supposed to be operated on around late February, but due to complications (which involved a sudden and sharp decrease in the amniotic fluid, triggering breathing trouble in the baby), the entire process of delivery was precipitated much earlier than it would have been otherwise. Her hubby, B, a close friend of ours, called us the day before the procedure

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-18953577408920362682010-01-15T21:49:00.005+05:302010-03-02T19:47:50.108+05:30

For all those of you who have been wondering why on earth I've gone into hibernation - I'm here, alive and in perfect health. The LCD of our laptop had gone so white that it was not possible to read anything on its surface without giving it a makeover. It came back with a new display attached. But soon after, the screen began to flicker intermittently and there was a problem with the brightness

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-51979205033302968002009-12-14T11:27:00.011+05:302010-03-02T19:48:34.004+05:30

K was upset last night when I observed that he seemed to be having fun watching films like 'Mumbai Meri Jaan'. It wasn't meant to be taken personally, of course (although my bluntness always does end up making things sound offensive). What I was trying to understand was why we think we're doing something commendable by watching these serious 'arty' films when we end up miserable and

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-72076750406184422152009-12-09T09:59:00.007+05:302009-12-10T20:01:32.633+05:30

For the last few days, the newspapers have been full of ' The Copenhagen Summit', 'greenhouse gases', 'carbon footprints' and 'emission standards'. Not that the issues have sprung up overnight. They are long standing concerns, most of which we think about happening to the rest of the world and affecting them rather than us. Until we find food prices rising at an alarming rate, without any

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-49998308975469793922009-12-03T15:19:00.050+05:302009-12-03T21:09:30.171+05:30

Everyone seems to be getting hitched of late. I wouldn't mind that, except that we get invited to celebrate all the occasions.Yeah right, I know you're saying. How can one rant about dressing up and indulging one's taste buds at all ? Well, if you were in my position, you'd know. I've been attending invitations from the 21st of Nov and there are several more queued up right till mid-Dec. Of late,

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-46429240475476538752009-11-18T11:30:00.016+05:302009-11-18T12:32:38.056+05:30

All the things one has forgotten scream for help in dreams. ~Elias CanettiSome days are just not made for waking up.Open your eyes and the whole of life seems a lesson in disappointment. There is no sepia-tinted crumbling fort to spend a heady afternoon in. There are no forbidden rooftops where you can take in the whole countryside at a glimpse and weave enchanted dreams in a shady corner of.

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-62708033861681844982009-11-05T19:27:00.004+05:302009-11-05T19:47:31.528+05:30

Marriage does strange things to you. It not only takes you out out of your familiar surroundings and circle of acquaintances, it also gives you a new home and if lucky, a whole new family. But it is not to talk of the happier side of marriage that I sit today, but of its sad, sombre, sobering aspects.I’ve just come from my former home to my present one. This is the nth time I’ve done the same and

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-4994751019059704682009-10-29T20:30:00.000+05:302009-10-29T11:00:41.166+05:30

Well, here I am, at last with enough time and honesty at my disposal to accept with great humility and happiness the first badge that I’ve been awarded, and that too, by one of my favourite blogolleagues : Discovering M.Yay !!!!!!!!!!Dear DM, here’s a big THANKS for the honour and a bigger SMILE for cheering me up with your flowers (for the confused majority, I suggest checking out his comment on

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-21724114535487527912009-10-23T15:30:00.002+05:302009-10-26T19:05:54.198+05:30

When you have tried your 100 per cent to be your best self and no one acknowledges it.When your family shows that they really don’t care about you as an individual.When you have to justify yourself to people who you thought had at last learned to believe in your integrity and worth.When you realize that however much you try to improve yourself, others will never let you forget your past.When you

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-70848213697975938542009-10-06T17:44:00.004+05:302009-10-06T20:23:25.126+05:30

During our stay in New Jersey for a period of 13 months, we happened to visit the pujos at Ananda Mandir and Bharat Shevasram Sangha, the closest we could hope to approximate in terms of pujo porikroma in 2008.On the evening of Shashthi, after a sumptuous lunch at our friends’ place, a film at Regal Cinemas and a bit of grocery shopping at Patel's Cash & Carry in Somerset, we finally sauntered

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-29713648785500157942009-09-03T09:11:00.049+05:302009-09-03T20:32:58.244+05:30

At last, we’ve managed to sell off all our living room furniture. The latter included a sofa set, a coffee/centre table, a TV with wooden stand, a floor lamp and a small storage unit, popularly known as a microwave table. With the disposal of these items, it feels like a huge load of responsibility has been taken off our minds. Another actual proof, I suppose, of how material issues engage our

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-4538892846359876262009-08-23T19:40:00.004+05:302009-08-27T22:55:23.880+05:30

We're finally going home, early in September. No, the date hasn't been finalised yet, although it'll probably be on a weekend so that K can get some rest before he joins the TCS Kolkata office on Monday. We're in a mad, chaotic situation now, selling off furniture items and the car. My last few days have been and the coming few are likely to be occupied mostly with frenetic scrubbing and dusting

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-3557864098251101682009-08-20T20:29:00.003+05:302009-08-27T22:55:45.540+05:30

I've never come across so many breeds of cats and dogs back home, compared to my experience in the last one year here. By now, one would presume I must have got over my fear of the species, considering I've been under involuntary contact with an incredibly huge number of them in this residential complex. Heading the list is a tiny brown-white dog that inhabits an apartment parallel to ours. Its

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-81920515002652052522009-08-10T19:34:00.010+05:302009-08-27T22:56:04.672+05:30

My latest crush is on the avocado. Sorry folks, I'm too old to go ga-ga over Bollywood any more, although I must admit to drooling over Imraan Khan once in a while (I even dreamed that I came across him in a library the other day !) but mostly I've got over the oh-I-shall-die-if-I-don't meet/get-this-person phase. My obsessions have been considerably diet-related, more healthy and less sinful of

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-70011113283075122202009-08-05T21:24:00.002+05:302009-08-27T22:56:22.159+05:30

Game in progress :We accompanied the Shindes on Saturday, 25th July, to Woodbridge, near Edison, where the NY-NJ League Cricket Finals (J & J, TCS and AIG, TCS) were taking place on a school playground. Other apparently choice locales had been rejected since they refused to allow any sort of activity on the grounds without having each and every player insured. No one was keen on taking such

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-29364772923769483822009-08-03T22:10:00.003+05:302009-08-27T22:56:49.149+05:30

This poem was influenced by the film 'The Seventh Sign'. It's sombre and stark, something in the line of Eliot's 'The Wasteland' (dare I be so presumptious ?!) and my own nightmarish take on the world as it is now. I'd like to preface it with the following words by my favourite writer :"But one is left with the horrible feeling now that war settles nothing ; that to win a war is as disastrous as

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-53026397110024206912009-08-02T21:11:00.007+05:302009-08-27T22:57:07.292+05:30

From : THE TIMES OF INDIA, 31-07-2009RIGHT TO CLEAN AIR Vision of pollution -free Kolkata Subhro Niyogi TNN What will happen if the high court order is followed in letter and spirit and all polluting vehicles are booted out. You will live four years longer. Babies will be born healthier. And Kolkata will no longer be the asthma and lung cancer capital. Automobile engineers and experts are

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-85315541373003191582009-07-29T21:57:00.007+05:302009-08-27T22:58:32.920+05:30

Extract from THE TIMES OF INDIA, Sunday, July 26, 2009 :Column : SOUL CURRYTitle : SING ME A SONGSubject : After years of domesticity, Ishwar Pati's dream comes true as his wife fills the home with the sound of music :"The songs are blossoming again, struggling to come out of their vocal pods after a long, dry hibernation. My wife's singing is somewhat scratchy, with her lyrical chords gathering

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-22676645894698571182009-07-24T22:08:00.002+05:302009-08-27T22:58:46.887+05:30

I'm really looking forward to Luck (2009). Of course, it may prove to be quite a dud, after all. But it doesn't hurt to be optimistic. And then, there's Imraan Khan, who makes my heart flip with ecstasy every time I spot him. Aamir was quite the chocolate hero at this time of his own career, but Imraan is quite the package, I feel. The looks, the intensity, the voice, the understated acting, the

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-92146405188437172222009-07-22T22:04:00.002+05:302009-08-27T22:59:01.777+05:30

The newspaper is getting increasingly interesting by the day. Take the TOI, for instance. It is finally reducing sensationalism to the span of its city supplements and producing some 'real' news. Check out a random selection of news items here :1 ) Effect of Mamata's annual rally on the routine of the citizens2) The sorry side of the above story 3) How greed might prove to be one's undoing4) The

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-67262067759972692732009-07-20T19:07:00.145+05:302009-08-27T22:59:20.568+05:30

This weekend started on a fairly mundane note, we spending Sat morning doing some shopping at Walmart. One of K's colleagues, Kaushik, called up in the afternoon and expressed his desire that we get together for an adda session and he was duly encouraged to come over for the same. The adda was just warming up, with K and the former (both of a similar reserved temperament) just beginning to show

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-4409528919255136472009-07-18T21:03:00.015+05:302009-08-27T22:59:40.304+05:30

This poem was composed in a fit of inspiration last night after watching 'Antaheen' ; it voices the unspoken thoughts of Avik (Rahul Bose's character) towards the 'end' of the film. I do not like the word 'end' as it seems to blight the vision of the film that its name serves to convey so faithfully...but for lack of a more apt word, I surrender.Please do give me your feedback, it

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-63646114764577769552009-07-16T21:13:00.003+05:302009-08-27T22:59:58.363+05:30

Children, as Baba loves saying, are as good as the Cartoon Network. They do the most unexpected things, behave in the most unpredictable ways and often, say the most unlikely (and often rather embarrassing) things. However, one thing is for sure : you can always count on them for entertainment. They'll never disappoint you !Here are the two most recent instances where I've derived much personal

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-24666038949125583052009-07-15T21:47:00.065+05:302009-08-27T23:00:14.511+05:30

Moumita just called and only confirmed what others are already suspecting : that I'm in a phase of extreme lethargy, which would be termed in colloquial Bengali as 'churanto lyaadh'. I plead guilty, of course. I've always been extremely transparent about my ideas, opinions and intentions,and would be only too pleased to have people consider me so too.Well, this is not going to be a post dealing

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-74750229695860902632009-07-13T20:07:00.006+05:302009-08-27T23:00:28.075+05:30

Any idea what the above is ? No guys, it isn't the latest version of the computer accessory we're more familar with nowadays than the typical household pest we learned to live with and tolerate. It's a battery operated can-opener.Having had a miserable track record in can-openers, where1) either the plastic coating came off and made the basic handling of the article a veritable torture 2) the

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-71591812591035469602009-07-09T20:10:00.005+05:302009-08-27T23:00:44.030+05:30

NIAGARALife ventured into vague debenture,Spent in sordid fits and starts ;A dream devoid of adventure,A fiasco of cynic hearts ;I groped about each morningFor fabulous grapes, however sour,Stumbling, often, into obscure yearning :For one brief, magical hour.Then, one sultry summer evening,You stunned me from grey slumber,Sung me into swift, simple meaningStoked strength into my dying ember ;I

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-61805051282545139952009-07-07T22:24:00.051+05:302009-08-27T23:01:03.130+05:30

Most people find exercise to be a big stress buster. That's true for me, too. But I don't believe you'll find many people who love exercising in a long, black full-length tiered skirt. The elastic at the waist has become loose with the passage of time, which actually helps to not hinder my movements when doing free-hand workouts at home. In fact, it even gives me a high when I feel the skirt

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-28956582076879197102009-06-25T19:50:00.002+05:302009-08-27T23:01:28.584+05:30

A few months back, we had been watching the 15th Annual Star Screen Awards 2009 on Youtube. Later, we watched the 81st Academy Awards on the ABC Family channel, here, in USA. And not to mince words, the contrast between the demeanour of nominees and participants at the two awards ceremonies could be best summed up in the adjective 'stark'.When I contemplate the Star Sceen Awards, I cringe at the

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-85900353422457597162009-06-25T18:34:00.006+05:302009-08-27T23:02:12.005+05:30

This is the incredibly sombre, sobering forward I discovered today morning in my mail-box :"Subject: A330: AIR FRANCE CRASH PHOTOS, AMAZED BY GUY'S INSTINCT......2 photos after Collision and before Death....Feel so sad for all the passengers including the extraordinary photographer, who kept his cool even in his last moments of life and took this photo. Hats off to him !!!Yesterday the world saw

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-13638758349496619592009-06-17T20:53:00.007+05:302009-08-27T23:02:28.643+05:30

While taking a walk one evening, a couple of days ago, K and I were discussing when would be the most opportune time to die. It does sound a tad too premature, I concede, but then on some days, the weather’s so fantastic, you feel you’d like to live forever but know it isn’t possible and then, abruptly, you’re beset by the contemplation of mortality and human existence. Besides, we were both a

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-5159947807750539662009-06-17T18:40:00.006+05:302009-08-27T23:02:59.548+05:30

Let's see :By Me....Maggi (don't laugh, mine tastes really good !!!) PastaRutiBhaatChnirer polaoVeg ChowminGrilled cheese & turkey sandwichGrilled cheese, tomato & cilantro sandwichBread PohaSunfeast pastaTomato Rice Mashed PotatoesRajma Moong Dal Pindi ChanaPineapple-Mushroom-Capsicum ChanaGarlic SpinachDim PnaurutiDoi PhulkopiBnadhakopir DalnaBnadhakopir Jungka (supposedly a Goan dish)Phulkopir

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-63552361034350373982009-06-15T21:57:00.007+05:302009-08-27T23:03:15.311+05:30

Well, but apart from the ducks, there were actually other distractions in the Main Street region of Lake Placid. Foremost was the nature of downtown itself, which looked like the ideal vacation spot...people in summer attire with just a light jacket or wrap draped casually over their shoulders, strolling about with soda or coffee cups or icecreams in their hands with no definite aim in mind

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-4025441399807661062009-06-14T21:04:00.003+05:302009-08-27T23:04:12.246+05:30

I've been struck speechless ever since I read this article today morning...what hope or scope of improvement is there in a country where people are more concerned about milking the poor and sick for their own private monetary benefits rather than happy to witness them being provided for medically by people as selfless as this particular couple ? And where political parties exist only to fuel such

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-15909690276670474432009-06-06T00:37:00.004+05:302009-08-27T23:03:56.060+05:30

The sight of this ad in today's TOI (click to enlarge) gladdened my heart...at last we're going commercial with eco-friendly products !Way to go, guys !

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-71036265692813549622009-06-06T00:07:00.008+05:302009-08-27T23:04:47.442+05:30

"I'm tired of hearing it said that democracy doesn't work. Of course it doesn't work. We are supposed to work it. " ~Alexander WoollcottSource : THE TIMES OF INDIA, 05-06-2009 (HEADLINES)Diarrhoea grips Sunderbans70% Aila Victims Suffer, Govt Sees No CrisisPrithvijit Mitra TNNKolkata: Sunderbans is in the grip of the worst diarrhoea epidemic to break out in south Bengal in three decades. Nearly

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-57859997516223320212009-05-27T22:07:00.003+05:302009-08-27T23:05:24.368+05:30

This has been the single most memorable experience of my life till date, undoubtedly. Kaustav, Sabya Da, Moumita and I recently decided to spend our Memorial Day long weekend vacationing in up-state New York in the Lake George-Lake Placid region. We set out at about 6.45 am on Sat morning, Sabya Da and K taking turns at driving the rented car for a distance of about 256 miles (413 km) for about 4

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-37413214982897676902009-05-27T19:57:00.006+05:302009-08-27T23:06:01.502+05:30

Lured on by Beth's post , I watched the ad...and decided it's the hands down winner of the silliest ad I've ever spotted on any TV channel. I found another video of the same ad on YouTube and the comments (which amount to 254 !) are hilarious...I spent about 15 mins chuckling to myself after reading them. Have a look !

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-2379009368921205962009-05-16T19:59:00.009+05:302009-08-27T23:06:23.924+05:30

It's scary when there's no strong opposition to pose a serious threat to the ruling party, I've always thought. It makes the govt complacent and socio-eco-political conditions moribund, people secretly rebellious and optimism about the future difficult. The election results in West Bengal especially reflect the common man's opinion : it's time for a change. It remains to see how effective the

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-53037052139502346782009-05-14T20:46:00.037+05:302009-08-27T23:07:10.933+05:30

It's nice to be appreciated once in a while for what one does everyday on a regular basis, without stopping to consider exactly what one gets in return except for the mandatory monetary benefits. Immediate case in mind : K, who turned up on Tue afternoon, with a huge white carnation in his hand and a huger smile on his face. Now although he's the sort of husband who does like to surprise me once

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-87660423817026714552009-05-09T21:11:00.003+05:302009-08-27T23:07:39.638+05:30

For the greatest man ever born : GOD No idolatry for me –I invokeYou,the formless incarnate;the highest truth,the deepest desire,the wildest wish,the subtlest spring,toforestall my fate.(Today, at any rate.) There is a prayerrepressed in my bower –it begs wordsto stoke its fire.For all I haveisa helpless loveevenyour treacherous glancescannot tire.(In spite of all the mud and mire.) Help me,You,

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-34121648446492050182009-05-08T19:29:00.006+05:302009-08-27T23:08:22.424+05:30

Check out this cartoon I received as a forward (please click to view enlarged version)...thank you, Rahul Da !For the blissfully ignorant, Rahul Da happens to be my ex-boss ! :-)

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-87610146687557165512009-05-04T18:12:00.054+05:302009-08-27T23:08:59.912+05:30

Ah.... at last, it seems, it rained. After much patient suffering and powercuts related sensationalism.Well, but it seems the grass is always greener on the other side. Here it's been dripping incessantly right from Friday onwards and the miserable weather seems likely to persist till we're ready to scream with frustration. Which I already am.And to add to it, I've not been well for some time.

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-36604481283612018832009-05-01T19:37:00.001+05:302009-08-27T23:09:56.700+05:30

This made a wonderful read today morning.I couldn't but help shoot off a prompt email to Sudeshna Di, telling her how much I liked it :" Sudeshna Di,Bhallaglo dekhe je kaajer maanush USA giyeo lekhar obhyesh maintain kore...:-)(I'm pleasantly surprised that you've managed to remain in writing mode even after your arrival in the USA, considering how much you're engaged here in diverse activities !

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-16448567042575145162009-04-22T20:15:00.001+05:302009-08-27T23:10:19.204+05:30

My eyes were covered and closed: eddying darkness seemed to swim round me, and reflection came in as black and confused a flow. Self-abandoned, relaxed, and effortless, I seemed to have laid me down in the dried-up bed of a great river; I heard a flood loosened in remote mountains, and felt the torrent come: to rise I had no will, to flee I had no strength. I lay faint, longing to be dead. One

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-12976905899880520782009-04-22T18:20:00.005+05:302009-08-27T23:10:59.859+05:30

From :The Times Of India, Kolkata22 April 2009Power staff put on poll duty in midst of crisisTIMES NEWS NETWORKKolkata/Durgapur : It was a freak technical snag that blacked out Kolkata on Sunday. On Tuesday morning, in the middle of a power crisis in the state, two units of the Mejia thermal power plant under Damodar Valley Corporation had to be shut down for five hours because 150 employees from

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-26328418639533202312009-04-21T18:53:00.010+05:302009-08-27T23:11:53.808+05:30

I was just reading the most recent buckets of rain post and happened to recall an article that I'd written for The Telegraph way back in April 2006. Ahh, nostalgia seeps in...MOHE MOHE TU RANG DE BASANTI Jo log uncha sunte hain,unhe dhamakon ki zaroorat hei. - -- Karan in Rang de Basanti They say the youth are the backbone

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-60427140726809944842009-04-21T18:07:00.006+05:302009-08-27T23:12:18.019+05:30

How Nymphiad's tag works to create an abstract modern poem :1. Go to wikipedia.2. Hit "random"or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random.3. Set the title of the first random wikipedia article that appears as the title of your poem.4. Go to "Random quotations"or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3.5. Select the first three or five words (or suitable) of the very first quote

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-12019868803818042142009-04-20T19:26:00.009+05:302009-08-27T23:12:45.793+05:30

Ok, so my favourite couple is back. Moumita and Sabya Da, of course. Yesterday evening, by Lufthansa (on which the food seems to be getting cheesier, both literally and metaphorically), via Frankfurt. Spring's certainly the harbinger of better things !Not so in Kol, it seems. Apparently, the temperature there was 41 C yesterday, as Titai announced over the phone, sounding thoroughly disgusted.

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-22168998946399794632009-04-16T06:44:00.052+05:302009-08-27T23:13:09.628+05:30

I decided to inaugurate the Bengali New Year by the actual (and long overdue) implementation of some healthy (quite literally) determinations. We went out jogging today.I discovered that I was horribly out of form. We had to stop every 5 mins so that I could catch my breath. I myself wasn't very happy at the discovery, especially since we'd quite dressed the part (in our new purchases) and were

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-57039989274203193182009-04-14T23:48:00.015+05:302009-08-27T23:13:33.199+05:30

Bandhakopir (Cabbage) JungkaMy source of information regarding the Goanese origins of this dish is a well known cookbook by Leela Majumdar (the same) and Kamala Chattopadhyay, published by Ananda Publishers Pvt Ltd in Aug 1979 and titled quite simply 'Rannar Boi'. It was priced in those days at Rs 15.Quantity : Serves 4-6Ingredients:Cabbage, 1 wholeBesan (gram flour), half cupLemon Joice/

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741575165525691156.post-20236000036520751332009-04-10T05:48:00.002+05:302009-04-10T05:51:33.380+05:30

Awwwww. Now this is really sweet, don't you think ?

Casuarinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08112780666742969044noreply@blogger.com1