Video of a child's b'day party in the neighbourhood, late in the morning of sat,26th July...we, not being children and besides, new neighbours into the bargain, were naturally not invited...but we couldn't help taking an interest in the colourful proceedings, all the same !!!
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Sightseeing in and around New York
This is a short video of Brooklyn Bridge made by K on our sightseeing mission in and around New York on 19th July, 2008, i.e. last Saturday. We were accompanied by a few of our friends ...Moumita, Sabyasachi and Ratul...btw, the latter almost missed the trip by a whisker !
The camera was a Canon Powershot S2 IS, just in case anyone wants to know the technical bit ( there will always be people who like asking difficult questions which I, at least, am not qualified to answer !)...
The camera was a Canon Powershot S2 IS, just in case anyone wants to know the technical bit ( there will always be people who like asking difficult questions which I, at least, am not qualified to answer !)...
Poet vs Publisher
These exchanges are definitely bloggingworthy, I can't help feeling ....
from Gargi Mandal <mandalgargi81@gmail.com>towhatshotkolkata@timesgroup.com
date Sun, Jun 22, 2008 at 2:33 PM
subject Re: contribution to 'POETRY' section
mailed by gmail.com
Jun 22
Dear Sir/Madam,
I would like to draw your attention to a poem that I contributed to your revered newspaper for publication in the 'Poetry' section of your Saturday supplementary, 'What's Hot, What's Not'. It was published on Saturday, 21st June on page 29 of the said supplementary. However, I was shocked to see that the poem had little of the originality that I had conferred upon it. It had been whimsically edited, sections had been randomly excised and the entire last stanza had been left out in the printed version. While it was definitely a delightful sensation to discover that my attempt at versification had been considered worthy of publication, it was sad to find that your editorial team needed to tamper with my amateur literary efforts.
I provide, in the space below, the original piece and following it, your (mis-)printed version. I do hope you shall respect sentiments regarding one's own creative efforts in future publications, be it that of other aspiring writers or my own. While, as a publisher, you reserve the right of making any changes you may consider necessary, I think you will also concede that it is your moral responsibility to let the author know of the said changes, prior to the act of publication.
MY VERSION -
- ENLIGHTENMENT
These tiresome ties
Tenuous and tedious
Sometimes seem lies
I must have conjured up
On some terrible day
When my own self worth
I must needs despise
And clutch, cling, hold on
To a more solid soul
Who should cure my heartache
Render me whole.
Today, though,
They stifle, they stilt,
They will me to wilt:
A figment of their creation
A fragment of imagination
I have connived and built.
I sink into such silt.
Perhaps, perceiving this despair,
They hope it is too late to quit.
One dawn of my own,
I shall burn these to ashes
And will dare to disown
Defy the burden of words
Depreciate all those deeds
The harvest of worthless weeds
I have, in childhood, insensibly sown,
That would bind me to duty,
Doom me to desire,
Destine me to devotion.
Some day, I shall decide to come into my own,
To answer all questions my self has known.
My life no longer a loan.
YOUR (MIS)PRINTED VERSION
These tiresome ties
Tenuous and tedious;
I must have conjured up
On some terrible day
When my own self worth
I despised.
I clutch, cling, hold on
To a more solid soul
Who should cure my heartache
Render me whole.
Today, though,
They stifle, they stilt,
They will me to wilt:
A figment of their creation
A fragment of imagination
I have connived and built.
I sink into such silt.
They hope it is too late to quit.
It would be a kind gesture on your part to re-publish the poem in its original form. It should, indeed, serve to re-affirm our respect in the integrity of all that 'The Times of India' represents to its loyal readers.
Yours gratefully,
GARGI MANDAL - MUKHERJEE
22 – 06 - 2008
On 5/30/08, Gargi Mandal <mandalgargi81@gmail.com> wrote:
ENLIGHTENMENT
These tiresome ties
Tenuous and tedious
Sometimes seem lies
I must have conjured up
On some terrible day
When my own self worthI must needs despise
And clutch, cling, hold on
To a more solid soul
Who should cure my heartache
Render me whole.
Today, though,They stifle, they stilt,
They will me to wilt:
A figment of their creation
A fragment of imagination
I have connived and built.
I sink into such silt.
Perhaps, perceiving this despair,
They hope it is too late to quit.
One dawn of my own,
I shall burn these to ashes
And will dare to disown
Defy the burden of words
Depreciate all those deeds
The harvest of worthless weeds
I have, in childhood, insensibly sown,
That would bind me to duty,Doom me to desire,
Destine me to devotion.
Some day, I shall decide to come into my own,
To answer all questions my self has known.
My life no longer a loan.
-- Gargi Mandal-Mukherjee
THE REPLY :
from whatshotkolkata <whatshotkolkata@timesgroup.com>toGargi Mandal <mandalgargi81@gmail.com>
date Thu, Jul 24, 2008 at 6:18 AM
subject Re: contribution to 'POETRY' section
6:18 AM (3 hours ago)
Dear Gargi,
I don't know if you have already been replied to, but I wanted to anyway.I'm not sure who was in charge of editing, and it is perfectly justifiable for you to be angry, but what you must understand is that we are a paper that runs on limited space and deadlines.It is impossible to publish poems in their original form if they are to be published at all, given the format of the page. Also, given the terrible time constraints we have to function under, it is virtually impossible to inform each entrant of editorial changes. You must understand that editing here is not aimed at hurting sentiments or randomly slashing contributions, but to ensure that they get published at all.What you have said will be kept in mind, though, and, hopefully, will not stop you from writing in further.
Apologies and regards.
The intriguing thing is the absence of any individual name at the end.
However, a hearty thanks from me to that anonymous someone who at least showed the decency of standing up to and responding to my ire.
from Gargi Mandal <mandalgargi81@gmail.com>towhatshotkolkata@timesgroup.com
date Sun, Jun 22, 2008 at 2:33 PM
subject Re: contribution to 'POETRY' section
mailed by gmail.com
Jun 22
Dear Sir/Madam,
I would like to draw your attention to a poem that I contributed to your revered newspaper for publication in the 'Poetry' section of your Saturday supplementary, 'What's Hot, What's Not'. It was published on Saturday, 21st June on page 29 of the said supplementary. However, I was shocked to see that the poem had little of the originality that I had conferred upon it. It had been whimsically edited, sections had been randomly excised and the entire last stanza had been left out in the printed version. While it was definitely a delightful sensation to discover that my attempt at versification had been considered worthy of publication, it was sad to find that your editorial team needed to tamper with my amateur literary efforts.
I provide, in the space below, the original piece and following it, your (mis-)printed version. I do hope you shall respect sentiments regarding one's own creative efforts in future publications, be it that of other aspiring writers or my own. While, as a publisher, you reserve the right of making any changes you may consider necessary, I think you will also concede that it is your moral responsibility to let the author know of the said changes, prior to the act of publication.
MY VERSION -
- ENLIGHTENMENT
These tiresome ties
Tenuous and tedious
Sometimes seem lies
I must have conjured up
On some terrible day
When my own self worth
I must needs despise
And clutch, cling, hold on
To a more solid soul
Who should cure my heartache
Render me whole.
Today, though,
They stifle, they stilt,
They will me to wilt:
A figment of their creation
A fragment of imagination
I have connived and built.
I sink into such silt.
Perhaps, perceiving this despair,
They hope it is too late to quit.
One dawn of my own,
I shall burn these to ashes
And will dare to disown
Defy the burden of words
Depreciate all those deeds
The harvest of worthless weeds
I have, in childhood, insensibly sown,
That would bind me to duty,
Doom me to desire,
Destine me to devotion.
Some day, I shall decide to come into my own,
To answer all questions my self has known.
My life no longer a loan.
YOUR (MIS)PRINTED VERSION
These tiresome ties
Tenuous and tedious;
I must have conjured up
On some terrible day
When my own self worth
I despised.
I clutch, cling, hold on
To a more solid soul
Who should cure my heartache
Render me whole.
Today, though,
They stifle, they stilt,
They will me to wilt:
A figment of their creation
A fragment of imagination
I have connived and built.
I sink into such silt.
They hope it is too late to quit.
It would be a kind gesture on your part to re-publish the poem in its original form. It should, indeed, serve to re-affirm our respect in the integrity of all that 'The Times of India' represents to its loyal readers.
Yours gratefully,
GARGI MANDAL - MUKHERJEE
22 – 06 - 2008
On 5/30/08, Gargi Mandal <mandalgargi81@gmail.com> wrote:
ENLIGHTENMENT
These tiresome ties
Tenuous and tedious
Sometimes seem lies
I must have conjured up
On some terrible day
When my own self worthI must needs despise
And clutch, cling, hold on
To a more solid soul
Who should cure my heartache
Render me whole.
Today, though,They stifle, they stilt,
They will me to wilt:
A figment of their creation
A fragment of imagination
I have connived and built.
I sink into such silt.
Perhaps, perceiving this despair,
They hope it is too late to quit.
One dawn of my own,
I shall burn these to ashes
And will dare to disown
Defy the burden of words
Depreciate all those deeds
The harvest of worthless weeds
I have, in childhood, insensibly sown,
That would bind me to duty,Doom me to desire,
Destine me to devotion.
Some day, I shall decide to come into my own,
To answer all questions my self has known.
My life no longer a loan.
-- Gargi Mandal-Mukherjee
THE REPLY :
from whatshotkolkata <whatshotkolkata@timesgroup.com>toGargi Mandal <mandalgargi81@gmail.com>
date Thu, Jul 24, 2008 at 6:18 AM
subject Re: contribution to 'POETRY' section
6:18 AM (3 hours ago)
Dear Gargi,
I don't know if you have already been replied to, but I wanted to anyway.I'm not sure who was in charge of editing, and it is perfectly justifiable for you to be angry, but what you must understand is that we are a paper that runs on limited space and deadlines.It is impossible to publish poems in their original form if they are to be published at all, given the format of the page. Also, given the terrible time constraints we have to function under, it is virtually impossible to inform each entrant of editorial changes. You must understand that editing here is not aimed at hurting sentiments or randomly slashing contributions, but to ensure that they get published at all.What you have said will be kept in mind, though, and, hopefully, will not stop you from writing in further.
Apologies and regards.
The intriguing thing is the absence of any individual name at the end.
However, a hearty thanks from me to that anonymous someone who at least showed the decency of standing up to and responding to my ire.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Cooped up but not complaining !!!
Mon and Tue were fairly uneventful days for me, considering that K went to office while I remained cooped up in our hotel room.Mon shokale I watched several sitcoms on TV, amader niye asha DVD r modhye theke Mr Black Mr White bole akta jhul film dekhlam,amar b'day te Appa dadar dewa 'To Sir With Love' boi ta besh khanik ta pode phellam,kichhu undergarments keche room er fan vent er opor shukiye phellam, pranayam and free hand exercise korlam, snan korlam, dupure Sushmit er phn call attend kore (tokhon he had come home to have lunch with Namita) phatiye ghumolam from 4-5.15 pm, uthe bhabhlam, "Dur chhai, jege thekei ba ki oshadhyo shadhon korbo", ebong as expected of an insomniac like me, abar ghumiye podlam ! Ghum bhanglo phn er awaaj e around 6.10 pm…it was Namita.We talked for over an hour, on various issues such as house-hunting, husbands, medical insurance in USA, the side-effects of pregnancy (naturally ekhane Namita was doing all the talking and me the listening !), utensils and cooking websites, microwave friendly recipes etc. Within the span of time that we talked, three times it struck me that someone was knocking at the door but twice I interrupted Namita and got up to find that it was only the reverberation of other doors along our corridor, which were being either opened or shut by their respective occupants.The third time, just after 7 pm, it was actually K. Namita finally hung up, according to her, to give us some quality time with each other .
K was not in a very good mood.As it turns out, he had had an exceptionally unpromising first day. He had been assigned a cubicle for two , where there were already two ppl preceding him, who had shown their displeasure at this undesired addition to their private domain by trying to discuss with him what could be done to convey their displeasure to the concerned authorities. His laptop too would take some time to actually reach him (which had annoyed him enough to make him determine that he would not be taking his personal laptop to office hereafter). They had made him partake of an early lunch and then sent him to pass urine for a drug-clearance test. His protests to the effect that he did not feel the urge to micturate right at that point of time had been dismissed with the peremptory suggestion that he drink some water to make him feel the required urge !!! He had been instructed to pass at least 45 ml of urine in the given container and the rest in the commode, without flushing it out. Then they had dropped some tablet into the unflushed water, and there had been no change of colour. I suppose he had forgotten to mention that he had not passed more than 45 ml urine in any case, so the commode experiment was bound to have produced the results it did !!! Anyway, after that they had started a background check (which it would take a few days to complete) while they sent him to attend an internal meeting. Some smart-Alec had, during his delay in arriving in the US, emailed the client representative, to the effect that they did not have enough experienced resources at their disposal to successfully realise the given project. The outraged client had naturally asked him to promptly prepare a presentation on the exact data, stats and experience records of the ppl involved in this project…hence the meeting. Mane plain and simple bawaaaaaaaal !
Jai hok, dujone mile boshe boshe bhel mix khelam tv dekhte dekhte.tarpor ami Sun related oi bishal email ta likhe phellam, K hotel er complimentary copy of the 'USA Today' ta khanikta podlo, tarpor dujone dinner kore shuye podlam at 11 pm.
Tue breakfast er por theke amar unusually drowsy lagchhilo…ektu net surf korlam, Titai er shathe online ektu chat korlam,10.30 am nagad housekeeping er lokjon eshe room clean kore dewar por I went off to sleep and woke up abt 12.30 pm. Uthe abar boi podlam,TV dekhlam,ppr podlam,pranayam korlam,snan korlam and breakfast theke carry over kora muffin and yogurt diye mini-lunch sharlam (jodio K says ebhabe carbs kheye, ta jotoi kom hok na kyano, I'll never lose weight !). Tarpor abar net e boshe ketu blog related kaajkommo korlam.Ei shomoy, abt 4. 30 pm, K phn korlo, bollo office theke he had called up Kalikapur and talked to Mamoni and Bapi.Also said he'd taken a cab and gone to inspect two apartments in the Brookside Gardens area of Somerville. Akta ground floor e ,shob miliye ota or bhallageni...aar akta dekhe eshechhe on the 2nd floor...sheta shob miliye kharap noi...552 sq feet,one bedroom, one toilet, kitchen, living space,3 closets, ACs in living space & bedroom,heating in winter include kore abt $900 monthly rent,microwave kinte hobe aar laundry ta 10 mins walking distance away bolchhe...or office er lokjon achhe oi dike...transport er oshubidhe hobe na...dokan tokan achhe kachhakachhi...offer ta contemplate korchhi...floor plan ta dekhlam...kharap lageni...let's see. But he was very irritated je cabs ekhane ato expensive, jete $10 ebong office firte $10 khorcha hoyeche,so naturally….ekhane gas er price holo abt $4 per litre by the way.Sabya bolchhilo je o jokhon prothom eshechhilo, tokhon it had been abt $2.98 per litre.K was taken aback je ami shonge shonge phn dhorlam, othat dupure ghumoini. I reassured him by telling him je ami shokale ghumiye niyechhi. Hei bhogobaan, amar neejer bore r ki impression hoyechhe amar shombondhe!!!
Jai hok, phn chhadar por, I got up to do some serious work. K er articles of clothing had been distributed in 3 suitcases, je jonyo roj shokal e or office er puro jamakapod er set ber korte (shirt, trousers, undergarments, socks,hanky) ami nakaal hoye jachhilam for the last two days. So I overturned the contents of all 3 suitcases and rearranged them so that ALL his garments would remain in our biggest suitcase while I divided my garments into two halves and distributed them in the other two. Woollens served as the protective underlying layer in all three. Ei shob korte abt 2 hrs laglo, so that it was abt 7.30pm when K interrupted my sigh of relief with a brisk knock at the door and entered, armed with a cup of decaffeinated coffee from the lobby in one hand. Abar beriye amar jonyo arek cup of the same niye elo tokhoni. Jamakapod chhedar por we sat down to eat kebab rolls.Khub khide peyechilo dujoner, tai two per person. Bollo aaj shei regulation internal meeting akta shuru holo abt 5pm, shei jonyei deri hochhe phirte.Bechara thanda lege besh kahil hoye ache, kebol naak jhadchhe.After that, aktana 9.45pm obdhi TV dyakha chollo, prothome Seinfield, tarpor re-runs of a very old TV serial, 'Family Ties', jekhane actors der modhye a very young Tom Hanks, Courtney Cox and Michael J. Fox o chhilo !!! Tarpor khabar pala. Kaal raat er menu chhilo pre-cooked palak rotis with mutter paneer. 11 pm er modhye lights off.
I mustn't forget to mention je thanda lagle K er snoring pattern gets even worse. Ami bhor er deeke chomke uthe boshe bhablaam je sthg must be seriously wrong with him, ato jore jore naak dakchhilo. Tarpor birokto hoye ak khnocha mere ato awaj bondho korte bollam karon ami shotyi ghumote parchhilam na. The snoring subsided with suspicious promptness.I am yet to find out what that was all about !!! Till then, tata !!!
K was not in a very good mood.As it turns out, he had had an exceptionally unpromising first day. He had been assigned a cubicle for two , where there were already two ppl preceding him, who had shown their displeasure at this undesired addition to their private domain by trying to discuss with him what could be done to convey their displeasure to the concerned authorities. His laptop too would take some time to actually reach him (which had annoyed him enough to make him determine that he would not be taking his personal laptop to office hereafter). They had made him partake of an early lunch and then sent him to pass urine for a drug-clearance test. His protests to the effect that he did not feel the urge to micturate right at that point of time had been dismissed with the peremptory suggestion that he drink some water to make him feel the required urge !!! He had been instructed to pass at least 45 ml of urine in the given container and the rest in the commode, without flushing it out. Then they had dropped some tablet into the unflushed water, and there had been no change of colour. I suppose he had forgotten to mention that he had not passed more than 45 ml urine in any case, so the commode experiment was bound to have produced the results it did !!! Anyway, after that they had started a background check (which it would take a few days to complete) while they sent him to attend an internal meeting. Some smart-Alec had, during his delay in arriving in the US, emailed the client representative, to the effect that they did not have enough experienced resources at their disposal to successfully realise the given project. The outraged client had naturally asked him to promptly prepare a presentation on the exact data, stats and experience records of the ppl involved in this project…hence the meeting. Mane plain and simple bawaaaaaaaal !
Jai hok, dujone mile boshe boshe bhel mix khelam tv dekhte dekhte.tarpor ami Sun related oi bishal email ta likhe phellam, K hotel er complimentary copy of the 'USA Today' ta khanikta podlo, tarpor dujone dinner kore shuye podlam at 11 pm.
Tue breakfast er por theke amar unusually drowsy lagchhilo…ektu net surf korlam, Titai er shathe online ektu chat korlam,10.30 am nagad housekeeping er lokjon eshe room clean kore dewar por I went off to sleep and woke up abt 12.30 pm. Uthe abar boi podlam,TV dekhlam,ppr podlam,pranayam korlam,snan korlam and breakfast theke carry over kora muffin and yogurt diye mini-lunch sharlam (jodio K says ebhabe carbs kheye, ta jotoi kom hok na kyano, I'll never lose weight !). Tarpor abar net e boshe ketu blog related kaajkommo korlam.Ei shomoy, abt 4. 30 pm, K phn korlo, bollo office theke he had called up Kalikapur and talked to Mamoni and Bapi.Also said he'd taken a cab and gone to inspect two apartments in the Brookside Gardens area of Somerville. Akta ground floor e ,shob miliye ota or bhallageni...aar akta dekhe eshechhe on the 2nd floor...sheta shob miliye kharap noi...552 sq feet,one bedroom, one toilet, kitchen, living space,3 closets, ACs in living space & bedroom,heating in winter include kore abt $900 monthly rent,microwave kinte hobe aar laundry ta 10 mins walking distance away bolchhe...or office er lokjon achhe oi dike...transport er oshubidhe hobe na...dokan tokan achhe kachhakachhi...offer ta contemplate korchhi...floor plan ta dekhlam...kharap lageni...let's see. But he was very irritated je cabs ekhane ato expensive, jete $10 ebong office firte $10 khorcha hoyeche,so naturally….ekhane gas er price holo abt $4 per litre by the way.Sabya bolchhilo je o jokhon prothom eshechhilo, tokhon it had been abt $2.98 per litre.K was taken aback je ami shonge shonge phn dhorlam, othat dupure ghumoini. I reassured him by telling him je ami shokale ghumiye niyechhi. Hei bhogobaan, amar neejer bore r ki impression hoyechhe amar shombondhe!!!
Jai hok, phn chhadar por, I got up to do some serious work. K er articles of clothing had been distributed in 3 suitcases, je jonyo roj shokal e or office er puro jamakapod er set ber korte (shirt, trousers, undergarments, socks,hanky) ami nakaal hoye jachhilam for the last two days. So I overturned the contents of all 3 suitcases and rearranged them so that ALL his garments would remain in our biggest suitcase while I divided my garments into two halves and distributed them in the other two. Woollens served as the protective underlying layer in all three. Ei shob korte abt 2 hrs laglo, so that it was abt 7.30pm when K interrupted my sigh of relief with a brisk knock at the door and entered, armed with a cup of decaffeinated coffee from the lobby in one hand. Abar beriye amar jonyo arek cup of the same niye elo tokhoni. Jamakapod chhedar por we sat down to eat kebab rolls.Khub khide peyechilo dujoner, tai two per person. Bollo aaj shei regulation internal meeting akta shuru holo abt 5pm, shei jonyei deri hochhe phirte.Bechara thanda lege besh kahil hoye ache, kebol naak jhadchhe.After that, aktana 9.45pm obdhi TV dyakha chollo, prothome Seinfield, tarpor re-runs of a very old TV serial, 'Family Ties', jekhane actors der modhye a very young Tom Hanks, Courtney Cox and Michael J. Fox o chhilo !!! Tarpor khabar pala. Kaal raat er menu chhilo pre-cooked palak rotis with mutter paneer. 11 pm er modhye lights off.
I mustn't forget to mention je thanda lagle K er snoring pattern gets even worse. Ami bhor er deeke chomke uthe boshe bhablaam je sthg must be seriously wrong with him, ato jore jore naak dakchhilo. Tarpor birokto hoye ak khnocha mere ato awaj bondho korte bollam karon ami shotyi ghumote parchhilam na. The snoring subsided with suspicious promptness.I am yet to find out what that was all about !!! Till then, tata !!!
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Social Sunday...
Hi, everyone. Yesterday, Sunday 7th July, was a day of socializing. Just before lunch yesterday,one of K’s colleagues (in the same account, but not part of the same project), Sabyasachi, came over. He is the same person who booked us into this hotel and also arranged for the cab that brought us here from the airport. As I said, we were not being able to do anything here until we had a car, since everything is so scattered around the place. Sabya took us in his car to a shopping mall called Bridgewater Commons, about 7 mins by car from our hotel.Okhane we found a small open-air booth of T-mobile and got ourselves a cell connection.
[Ekhane the strange thing is that you have only CDMA connections, which means that you cannot choose to buy your cellphn model and take a network separately.Phones are available only when you take a connection, but you can opt for a free phn (which means a very simple and basic model) or pay extra for a good phn (although the good phns all seem quite expensive, i.e. greater than 160 dollars). K had very good Nokia cell phn ,which he had bought in USA when he was here previously,but he has misplaced the charger, so we cannot use it. The charger of my Indian cell does fit well into it, but that doesn’t help in USA, as the plug sockets there need very fine-pointed pins, which my charger doesn’t have. So, we get two free phns with our T-mobile connection, of which we already received one yesterday,and shall get the other on the 18th. There was a choice between a Samsung and a Nokia phn, I opted for the Nokia since we’ve got used to handling Nokia sets and their batteries are also reputed to be better.]
Back to non-technical stuff. I really liked the layout of the mall, where there were both big and branded shops as well as open-air hawkers and open-air eateries.People here all seem very casually dressed most of the time and no one really cares whether you are wearing too many or too little clothes, except of course, if you are exceptionally shabby or gaudy.By the way, most of the brands are all available in India, and here too, Sabya Da says, their sales aren’t really sales most of the time, mane they offer you discounts on increased prices. Human nature remains the same everywhere, I suppose !!!
After this, Sabya took us to Desi Bazaar, a shop on N Gaston Avenue, Somerville. It is run by a Gujarati lady and seems to contain almost everything we Indians might need, under one roof – be it breads and cereals, ready to eat foods, biscuits, juices, soups, fruits and vegetables, packed laddoos/mithais, ready to eat rotis/naans/kulchas, non-veg preparations like tea, spices, picles, dettol, cosmetics, bread etc.We bought toasted biscuits (of Britannia), bread (26 slices in a packet), mixed bhel (muri mixed with other condiments),r eady-to-eat rajma-chawal,mutter paneer, pindi chana, dal makhani, palak paneer, sarson ka saag, jeera rice, ready-to-eat chicken tandoori in spinach sauce and kebab rolls, etc. All this was for or next week’s dinner and my lunch also, since K is to lunch in his office canteen. Nowadays our policy is usually to partake of a heavy breakfast (complimentary from the hotel) and a light lunch. Today, for example, I lunched on Maggi soup and bread followed by yogurt (2 packs of which we carry to our rooms after breakfast, as our breakfast is heavy enough without them! ). K had a fish sandwich and an apple juice for lunch at the canteen today, he says.
Anyway, we had a very late lunch at the hotel after Sabya Da dropped us. We were just preparing for a nap when my school friend Sharmistha and her husband, Sourav, dropped in. They live in Flanders, abt 40 miles away from Raritan ( and a 40 mins’ drive). Sharmistha has gained quite a lot of weight, considering she was always reed-thin. She was extremely perplexed as to why it had suddenly occurred to Shobhana to send her a gift via me, that too without any specific occasion in mind. They stayed here for quite a while, we had a great time. Her hubby is a very quiet, solemn and intelligent looking chap. Needless to say, Sharmistha does enough talking on behalf of both of them!!! She is a darling. She is absolutely ecstatic to see me at last and gave us a lot of valuable advice on various aspects of life and living in USA. Honestly, everyone is helping us so much, I don’t know how we would ever manage without them.
Biyer por theke USA eshe neejer guchher sari phele rekhechhe, aktao occasion paini kothao porar but amar saris dekhe akhono extremely thrilled aar bokaboki korlo registry marriage er deen akta simple sari porechhilam. Aar kobe je amai oi uncultured lokjon er moto silk er sari r shathe rubiar blouse pora bondho hobe, shei niye prochur jhad dilo.They departed after coffee/tea etc (provided 24 hrs, free, by our hotel).
By that time, it was already 7.30 pm. We changed hurriedly, since Sabya was supposed to pick us up for dinner at their place around 8pm.I wore the new salwar suit that Mamoni-Bapi had gifted me on the occasion of Poila Boishakh, realising that this was one of the few rare instances when I would have an opportunity to wear ethnic attire at all. ( K says I look like a lady, but I personally think that was because he had got tired of seeing me in jeans for the past one week or so !). Sabya was punctual enough.It was hardly a 10 mins’ drive to their place.His wife Moumita was elated to see us.She is very slim, slightly dark-complexioned,very eloquent, very pretty.Prothome she served us cold drinks and chips.I had pineapple juice, since I’m on a weight loss mission.Prochur adda holo.Sabyasachi ke prothome khub chupchaap aar serious mone hoechhilo, but badite he really opened up and oder byaranor mojaar shob goppo bollo.He lives in BJ block in Salt Lake while Moumita r baaper badi is in Kasba Bakultala.Ora Independence day weekend e Niagara byadate gechhilo by bus and since K had been there before, they had a great time comparing their respective experiences.Ektu pore Ratul bole oder office er akata chhokra dropped in ( he had also been invited), K ero chena.Ratul told us of his harrowing experiences with dentists’ bills in the US. Moumita bollo or ak relative ache in the USA, she naaki bolechhe taar dui chhelemeye ke plumber aar dentist banaabe (considering they earn much more than our husbans are or will ever earn!!!) We had bhaat, motorshnuti diye moog er daal, chicken curry,bnadhakopir torkaari,bagda chingrir jhol and aam er chutney for dinner. Sabyasachir paala chhilo oi din rate thaala dhowar, jodio amra shobai volunteer korlam to help out. Their home is very plainly but prettily furnished aar bheeshon comfortable.One –bedroom apartment, but living space ta besh bodo. Bishal black rexine sofas, akta chhotto TV-DVD unit, akta dark wood er centre table, akta chhotto 4-seater dining table, microwave, fridge. Ora bolchhilo fittings gulo besh lojjhode tobe shotyi kotha bolte dekhe bojha jai na. Amra kothai accommodation nebo, sheta niye besh chhap e achhi. Ora ei mash er sheshe Somerset e Somerset Mews bole akta apartment complex e shift kore jachhe, shekhane laundry ache,fitness centre ache akta, prochur Bengali families aar akdom raasta cross korei Patel Bazaar, jekkhane shomosto Indian necessities are easily available.Amrao okhane jete parle khushi hotam, kintu amader problem ta hochhe je unlike them, we don’t have a car, so Somerset would be too far for K to commute unless he can become part of a car pool with ppl from his office,who also share the same timings. Somerville area ta K er office er kaachhe,okhane prochur lokjon o ache K er office er, but okhane dokkan paat ektu kom aar Bengali families thakleo besh scattered bhabe ache. Moumita to ato frustrated chhilo kotha bolar lokjon na peye je amader peye hathe shorgo peyechhe mone hochhilo. Ora Somerville ei thaake, kintu laundry ta oder badi theke beriye besh khaanikta. Winter er kotha bhebei lokjon ekhane laundry r byapare ato concerned, karon it is supposed to be unbelievably cold during the winter months and therefore, venturing outside is a terror.
Kaal rate amader phirte 10.45 pm hoye gechhilo.K er friend, Sushmit had called thrice aar amader nap eye, akta voice message rekhe gechhilo je amar ato raateo room e nei dekhe or ektu chinta hochhe.Amra immediately call up kore oke reassure korlam je we are perfectly ok!!!
More details coming up soon. Here it’s 10 pm, Mon July 8th and my poor K is waiting for me to serve dinner. The menu tonight is rajma chawal and yogurt. Am off to serve dinner !!!
[Ekhane the strange thing is that you have only CDMA connections, which means that you cannot choose to buy your cellphn model and take a network separately.Phones are available only when you take a connection, but you can opt for a free phn (which means a very simple and basic model) or pay extra for a good phn (although the good phns all seem quite expensive, i.e. greater than 160 dollars). K had very good Nokia cell phn ,which he had bought in USA when he was here previously,but he has misplaced the charger, so we cannot use it. The charger of my Indian cell does fit well into it, but that doesn’t help in USA, as the plug sockets there need very fine-pointed pins, which my charger doesn’t have. So, we get two free phns with our T-mobile connection, of which we already received one yesterday,and shall get the other on the 18th. There was a choice between a Samsung and a Nokia phn, I opted for the Nokia since we’ve got used to handling Nokia sets and their batteries are also reputed to be better.]
Back to non-technical stuff. I really liked the layout of the mall, where there were both big and branded shops as well as open-air hawkers and open-air eateries.People here all seem very casually dressed most of the time and no one really cares whether you are wearing too many or too little clothes, except of course, if you are exceptionally shabby or gaudy.By the way, most of the brands are all available in India, and here too, Sabya Da says, their sales aren’t really sales most of the time, mane they offer you discounts on increased prices. Human nature remains the same everywhere, I suppose !!!
After this, Sabya took us to Desi Bazaar, a shop on N Gaston Avenue, Somerville. It is run by a Gujarati lady and seems to contain almost everything we Indians might need, under one roof – be it breads and cereals, ready to eat foods, biscuits, juices, soups, fruits and vegetables, packed laddoos/mithais, ready to eat rotis/naans/kulchas, non-veg preparations like tea, spices, picles, dettol, cosmetics, bread etc.We bought toasted biscuits (of Britannia), bread (26 slices in a packet), mixed bhel (muri mixed with other condiments),r eady-to-eat rajma-chawal,mutter paneer, pindi chana, dal makhani, palak paneer, sarson ka saag, jeera rice, ready-to-eat chicken tandoori in spinach sauce and kebab rolls, etc. All this was for or next week’s dinner and my lunch also, since K is to lunch in his office canteen. Nowadays our policy is usually to partake of a heavy breakfast (complimentary from the hotel) and a light lunch. Today, for example, I lunched on Maggi soup and bread followed by yogurt (2 packs of which we carry to our rooms after breakfast, as our breakfast is heavy enough without them! ). K had a fish sandwich and an apple juice for lunch at the canteen today, he says.
Anyway, we had a very late lunch at the hotel after Sabya Da dropped us. We were just preparing for a nap when my school friend Sharmistha and her husband, Sourav, dropped in. They live in Flanders, abt 40 miles away from Raritan ( and a 40 mins’ drive). Sharmistha has gained quite a lot of weight, considering she was always reed-thin. She was extremely perplexed as to why it had suddenly occurred to Shobhana to send her a gift via me, that too without any specific occasion in mind. They stayed here for quite a while, we had a great time. Her hubby is a very quiet, solemn and intelligent looking chap. Needless to say, Sharmistha does enough talking on behalf of both of them!!! She is a darling. She is absolutely ecstatic to see me at last and gave us a lot of valuable advice on various aspects of life and living in USA. Honestly, everyone is helping us so much, I don’t know how we would ever manage without them.
Biyer por theke USA eshe neejer guchher sari phele rekhechhe, aktao occasion paini kothao porar but amar saris dekhe akhono extremely thrilled aar bokaboki korlo registry marriage er deen akta simple sari porechhilam. Aar kobe je amai oi uncultured lokjon er moto silk er sari r shathe rubiar blouse pora bondho hobe, shei niye prochur jhad dilo.They departed after coffee/tea etc (provided 24 hrs, free, by our hotel).
By that time, it was already 7.30 pm. We changed hurriedly, since Sabya was supposed to pick us up for dinner at their place around 8pm.I wore the new salwar suit that Mamoni-Bapi had gifted me on the occasion of Poila Boishakh, realising that this was one of the few rare instances when I would have an opportunity to wear ethnic attire at all. ( K says I look like a lady, but I personally think that was because he had got tired of seeing me in jeans for the past one week or so !). Sabya was punctual enough.It was hardly a 10 mins’ drive to their place.His wife Moumita was elated to see us.She is very slim, slightly dark-complexioned,very eloquent, very pretty.Prothome she served us cold drinks and chips.I had pineapple juice, since I’m on a weight loss mission.Prochur adda holo.Sabyasachi ke prothome khub chupchaap aar serious mone hoechhilo, but badite he really opened up and oder byaranor mojaar shob goppo bollo.He lives in BJ block in Salt Lake while Moumita r baaper badi is in Kasba Bakultala.Ora Independence day weekend e Niagara byadate gechhilo by bus and since K had been there before, they had a great time comparing their respective experiences.Ektu pore Ratul bole oder office er akata chhokra dropped in ( he had also been invited), K ero chena.Ratul told us of his harrowing experiences with dentists’ bills in the US. Moumita bollo or ak relative ache in the USA, she naaki bolechhe taar dui chhelemeye ke plumber aar dentist banaabe (considering they earn much more than our husbans are or will ever earn!!!) We had bhaat, motorshnuti diye moog er daal, chicken curry,bnadhakopir torkaari,bagda chingrir jhol and aam er chutney for dinner. Sabyasachir paala chhilo oi din rate thaala dhowar, jodio amra shobai volunteer korlam to help out. Their home is very plainly but prettily furnished aar bheeshon comfortable.One –bedroom apartment, but living space ta besh bodo. Bishal black rexine sofas, akta chhotto TV-DVD unit, akta dark wood er centre table, akta chhotto 4-seater dining table, microwave, fridge. Ora bolchhilo fittings gulo besh lojjhode tobe shotyi kotha bolte dekhe bojha jai na. Amra kothai accommodation nebo, sheta niye besh chhap e achhi. Ora ei mash er sheshe Somerset e Somerset Mews bole akta apartment complex e shift kore jachhe, shekhane laundry ache,fitness centre ache akta, prochur Bengali families aar akdom raasta cross korei Patel Bazaar, jekkhane shomosto Indian necessities are easily available.Amrao okhane jete parle khushi hotam, kintu amader problem ta hochhe je unlike them, we don’t have a car, so Somerset would be too far for K to commute unless he can become part of a car pool with ppl from his office,who also share the same timings. Somerville area ta K er office er kaachhe,okhane prochur lokjon o ache K er office er, but okhane dokkan paat ektu kom aar Bengali families thakleo besh scattered bhabe ache. Moumita to ato frustrated chhilo kotha bolar lokjon na peye je amader peye hathe shorgo peyechhe mone hochhilo. Ora Somerville ei thaake, kintu laundry ta oder badi theke beriye besh khaanikta. Winter er kotha bhebei lokjon ekhane laundry r byapare ato concerned, karon it is supposed to be unbelievably cold during the winter months and therefore, venturing outside is a terror.
Kaal rate amader phirte 10.45 pm hoye gechhilo.K er friend, Sushmit had called thrice aar amader nap eye, akta voice message rekhe gechhilo je amar ato raateo room e nei dekhe or ektu chinta hochhe.Amra immediately call up kore oke reassure korlam je we are perfectly ok!!!
More details coming up soon. Here it’s 10 pm, Mon July 8th and my poor K is waiting for me to serve dinner. The menu tonight is rajma chawal and yogurt. Am off to serve dinner !!!
First days...
Ekhane amra Holiday Inn Express e uthechhi,K er client co. Johnson and Johnson er shathe eder akta tie-up achhe, tai they are offering a concession on the daily tariff. We reached Frankfurt early, i.e half an hr before the scheduled time of arrival. But our flight to Newark,NJ,was delayed due to technical glitches in the aeroplane that we were supposed to board...so we arrived a good 3 hours late in USA...immigration check,baggage claim and customs clearance didn't take up much time...luggage is intact...the limo-driver who was supposed to come and receive us at the airport was good enough to wait for the entire period of time.We reached the hotel around 9 pm.There's a MacDonalds just across the road...K bought burgers and french fries for dinner...we went to sleep almost immediately and woke up around 9.15 am here.Went down immediately without even brushing as the breakfast is 1) complimentary 2) over by 10 am.There were plenty of options...cereals of 4 types,brown and white bread, cinnamon rolls, cakes of several types, fruits of 5 varieties (melons,grapes,papaya,banana),baked egg cakes, fried bacon, 3 types of juices (cranberry,orange,apple), mashed sausage,t oast with a choice of grape jam/strawberry jam/peanut butter and yogurt, available in a variety of flavours like cherry,banana and strawberry, peach, blueberry etc. It seems easy to lose weight here as the dietary value of each food is mentioned on the container. After breakfast, we retired to our room,where the housekeeping staff, we found, had already finished the cleaning and supplied us with fresh bed linen and towels.We then each took a bath successively and watched TV.There were some weird reality shows being aired.We lunched on maggi soup,toast biscuits and yogurt, while watching Andaz Apna Apna, the CD of which we had brought along with us. We had a long nap and woke up around 6.30 pm.It was drizzling.We took our umbrellas and went out for evening snacks and to buy phone cards. Bad luck. After chicken sandwiches at MacD, we located the Towne Plaza, where the phn cards were sold...but due to its being 4th July, the shop had closed early.we bought some Chinese style chicken chowmin for dinner and returned to the hotel. There were some magnificient fireworks visible from both opposite the Towne Plaza and also from the Hotel driveway, the latter being just opposite the Branchburg park, where it's hard to get parking space ,the place is so crowded with spectators on that particular evening. After sitting on benches in front of the hotel for some time, we returned to our rooms, had dinner (though I must say, I didn't think much of the chowmin and prefer Indian-style Chinese which looks and tastes much more appetising) with the regulation fortune cookies and went to sleep about midnight.
This morning, we woke up quite early, finished brushing etc and went for breakfast. Today,there were variations in the breakfast menu. There were scrambled eggs, pancakes with syrup, potato pies etc. Now I'm at the laptop, while K had gone to buy calling cards. He's just returned and is trying to call home. Shall get back later with more details.
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