Am Not Afraid......

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Eminem has been real slick with his words and as arapper his real job was to play with words, bring out the potential meaning of words that has lingered too long in the dictionary without being used properly, being held hostage by it's traditional meaning. But his single from the last album, Not Afraid is quite apt, in my mind keeping up with the recent conditions and traditions of the society. After isn't the daily norm of the life that we be afraid of something. That fear be imbibed in our everyday chore like the air we breathe in or the water we turn freaquently turn to quench our thirst. I know you might have thought that a recent happening might have caused a spur of thoughts in me and that's why this topic. Let me explain...

We all know this is a democratic country. we can speak the shit out of ourselves, vote and all that bullshit but wait!! and think for a moment what does that all lead. Before being the independent and democratic country it is now; we weren't allowed to freedom of speech; per se. But after we aquired that freedom, what difference have we made. Yeah of course that RTI and all that but if we look closer, did it actually help us come to the point. Or was it just a tool to go places that was otherwise off limits. Todays nation provides so many voices, platforms to spea that we are losing the main motto. The proper speech. There is chaos everywhere. We all wanna speak so we make up words. Facebook Twitter and what not. Even as i write I am voicing my thoughts in this blog I don't care who wants to hear as long as someone is there to hear about it. So where does it take us? And is it effective?

Last day India shook the blasts at the Modi Rally that took a massive death toll. All Modi wanted to do was speak. If politics is taking you that farr to where the main reason becomes extinct, we should think about speaking once again.Words onec escaped donot come back and when it comes it hurts. But how many of us think that and speak. How many of us are sure they are not biased to one or the other option when they judge talk or discuss the topic, criticize one action or merely states the facts.

Yes you'll surely and probably hung up the post(if given that you have come till here) thinking that I have gone loco (some says I always was). That the fear of life, insult and injury makes us pick a side. But how long till we can say enough is enough? When can we stand up and speak and fear not the handcuffs or head blown away?Till how long can we make sure that it is right, to voice our opinion solelyy based on what we think it is right or wrong not What our boss thinks it is? ANd accept criticism like hot soup not cold porridge.

AM a douche bag right? Well, Maybe. But Am not afraid....

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Book dissection-The Lowland

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With a strong hierarchy of famous literary awards in the kitty, Jhumpa Lahiri the NRI scholar brings to us yet another novel based on her country (Hope I am not overdoing it). The Lowland, termed as yet another of her immigration-novel, a media produced genre, it is a tale of a country ravaged wit revolution, a tale of a family set apart by love and a tale of two brothers Who lived and died only to live through one another. the stories (plural keeping in rythm with how the author chose to pen it)are interwined with emotions, dichotomy, serendipity and love. But over all a sense of nostalgia hovers from cover to cover as you approach each page; it's like you would almost take sides with a character, connect with it.

One of the critics of the book, Amy Tan very aptly puts it down,"The kind of writer who makes you want to grab the next person you see and say 'Read This'."
While New York Times sums up as "A writer of uncommon elegance and poise."
And indeed it is so. The recipent of Pulitzer Prize, a PEN/ Hemmingway Award and other accolades cross country, Lahiri has hit a note with her fourth novel, instinctively based on Kolkata (Well atleast dwelled on it for most part) and her novel had been longlisted for the Man booker Prize 2013. Although Eleanor Catton went on to grab the prize, you don'tmiss the  read and grab acopy of this absolutely delightful tale of thelives of some of the individuals conected through a common link.

Although I would hate to shre the storyline of the book a brief scope, I hope would no one dislike. It is the story of two brothers Subhas and Udayan who live at Tollygunge, Kolkata and spend their times of childhood and Teenage untill the Naxalite revolution dissects their path and snatches one from another. Wel reasearched histry provides enough fodder for an engaging read and the mix of appropiate fiction ensures we are not reading a chapter from the history book. Overall this is a novel one shouldn't give a miss. Keep engaged

Untill next time...

Huh!!! It's RIDICULOUS.............

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Today i am going to talk about the ridiculous things hat have captured my attention not for being different but the choice that it makes of being quirky, funny, hilarious. Ridiculous. Let's see what topped my list of Ridiculous this recent and check out whether you too think the same.

The sudden gold rush triggered by the dreams of  one Swami Shobhan Sarkar that lead to a hasty tweet by Modi and a more hastier  qualm of forgiveness is all beyond my legion. Why this Kolaveri Di? if one may ask then simply the fascination of India with unnatural or supernatural(James and Dean anyone?!!!) beings coupled with this recession market stocking up debt in stock markets have usurped this frenzy. If any gold is to be found, God knows how much will the really deserving the really hungry and thirsty people will get. Modiji might have bit his own foot by  letting his tongue loose on the canvas of 140 words but we say and I quote Facebook....'LIKE'. This whole sham scam that is glittering in the eyes of the likes of politicians and high placed nationals might just not be gold. But who stops and thinks these days other than Suhel Seth.  ASI today confirmed it has more to do with historic reasons than glittering pellets. We confirm RIDICULOUS.

Recently I came to know on a piece on coffee that Africa produces the most costliest coffee on earth and it is a type of black coffee (Yeah like something different was expected...Sorry, scratch that; no racism) But how do they do that. Well The process of collecting the Beans is  well..er... different. They collect the seeds of coffee from the dung of the elephants who had served themselves the whole plant. I don't know whether the making or the people buying or consuming it is more conforming to our today's theme.

Let's jog down to Bollywood for a change and we will get a fresh new choice for ridiculous. he was the brightest star in the horizon of  brand new Bollywood. He created spark among all his fans with his movies. His perks were as lovable as his smile. His acting made him a frenzy all over India and if that was not enough  a whole family outing on the silver screen was  supposed to be a screen scorcher and almost everyone who watched films awaited for such a project where he bares it all and gives his in and out. High expectations aired on the man. And all of a sudden Ranbir Kapoor goes and  signs Besharam. And Ridiculous never had the same meaning ever.

Today's t2, The Telegraph at Kolkata features some banned books that have generated controversy in one or other part of the world for their content and some names really made me shout out the word. but I will let you do the honours. So here are few names that are banned. Alice's Adventure in Wonderland in China, Black Beauty was banned in Africa till 1994 and The wonderful wizard of Oz in Tennessee. Did I almost hear you say 'READ-e-Culous'

There are several things more that I would have shared that seem more ridiculous to me than snake's bones about film and television about politics, the government about our prime minister but then my carreer would have ended even before it starts. So for now this is it. Hope you have some more facts that yiou would like to share. Bonjour...

Untill next time....

Subho BIJAYA!!!!!!!!!!

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 After the much awaited shower of celebration of the biggest and grandest event of Bengal, perhaps the most in terms of grandeur after the big fat wedding in a Bengali community; the festivities go on a hibernation and we return to normal life. Finding monotonicity (is there such a word even?!!!) or mundane in life isn't hard. The normalcy brings non-uniform chaos back. The  heart longs for the festivities to continue but reality... et tu...Brute... The perspiration of months, labour of thousands and awe of perhaps lakhs of people captured through the lens of seven days immersed in water; maintaining the true tradition. Taking into  account the transportation cost for ferrying passengers from one place to another during these days, the puja industry is a billion dollar business. An estimated flow of 200 crores of rupees, the majestic welcome ceremony of the most holistic hero (let's not be gender sensitive now, shall we?) perhaps puts to shame the Vikings returning from a raid or a Greco-Roman welcoming ceremony of their bountiful chieftains.

So much is the fervour that neither the rains could dampen the moods nor the deaths of several hundreds of villagers in the adjacent city due to  flood captured a brief moment of silence. We strived through waves of people to face the deity and admire the brains and sweat of the management; while thousands on the other side of the light climbed high rocks to save their lives. But lets not get into that and dampen the after-taste of the Pujas. The city lighted up and here I am not just talking about Kolkata (Which many outsider think is the only place in Bengal!!!) but the whole of Bengal. Foods were not just eating but indulging and everyone was pocket happy regardless of incidents that shook the world or the homes of near and far. While some chose to go pandal hopping with loved ones, some chose to give adda with the friends. Huh! the effervescent Bengali.

New thoughts were made on several cases regarding the celebrations; like crowd control which spilled from here to there, last year; and this year also. The preservation of the most unique, elaborate or nicely themed and organised Puja is in talks. Oh! And while we are on the topic, did you check Badamtal Puja committee's Puja these year. Today's The Telegraph has a picture and an article on it. Nicely done theme of 'DREAM'. Awesome sculpting, I must say. Some organizers gave free clothes to the needy some homes to street children while few visited old-aged homes to distribute sweets. That's the spirit I cheer to. If this be the celebration of light let every home be lightened, if this be the celebration of happiness let every face have a drop of happiness hanging from their face.

After all defeating all the odds to come to a sustained and peaceful life where everyone existed in harmony was the motto of the Goddess we dedicate our prayer to then winning the hearts of few people through brightly lit pandals should not be the aim. Neither winning prizes be our main goals. But winning the hearts and smiles of those unprivileged by fate or society is showing the true honour of the eternal Mother. Ma Durga. That's when we can embrace each other and say we have conquered all evils; foreign or domestic. That's when we can say Subho Bijaya.

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